Justin White, Safety and Risk Services

This recipe is from a restaurant in Ashland called Macaroni’s where I used to manage the kitchen during high school and the start of college. Warning: I don’t do measurements at all, so feel free to tweak as you like, but this dish is so good, especially in the winter. I cook almost everything on medium-high, but you must be quick and have everything ready to go – stick with medium and go slower unless you are feeling saucy.

Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

Serves: 4-5 or one 18-year-old son.

Ingredients

• 1lb spicy Italian sausage, uncooked (substitute mild if you like)
• 1/2 large white or yellow onion sliced fairly thin across the grain
• 1/2 – 1 large red/yellow/orange bell pepper or 4-6 small peppers sliced horizontally (thin)
• 1-2 cups of mushrooms sliced fairly thin
• 2-3 tablespoons diced garlic
• Olive oil
• 1 jar or equivalent of Red Spaghetti Sauce (don’t skimp on this – get something GOOD)
• 1 box/bag of Rigatoni or similar noodles 
• 1/2 container of Feta Cheese (crumbled)
• Shredded parmesan (freshly grated is the best)
• Boil water, salt and olive oil for the noodles and cook them according to the box/bag instructions, cool them off completely and set them aside when they are done. While the water is boiling cook the sausage in a large, deep pan or pot stirring it constantly and breaking it up into smaller sized chunks. Use a little bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking. Once the sausage is cooked thoroughly, remove and set it aside. 

Directions

In the same pan, add 2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil along with the onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are starting to turn translucent and add the mushrooms and a little more olive oil if necessary. Cook for a bit more (5-6 minutes) and add the peppers. Cook this for another 3-5 minutes and then add the sausage. Cook that for a bit longer and dump the red sauce in. Reduce the heat to a medium low and stir it for a bit. Add some salt and pepper for giggles.

Crumble the Feta on top and stir it in and let it cook in a bit more. Add the pasta, stir some more until the noodles are warm and serve with the parmesan on top and some type of dense bread for dipping (sourdough, etc.)

Note: the original recipe had black olives and either sausage or mushrooms. I like black olives but never felt they fit and think both mushrooms and sausage works the best, but again, feel free to tweak!