Spaghetti, just to PASTA time

 It was spaghetti time soo...I had to mix it up. I'll have to admit I was OVER my blah ol' straight out of the can $hi# and so was my husband.  So... I set out to make my own sauce, and spice up my go to staple. Don't think I'll ever go back. Probably a good thing.

Ingredients:

1 package Jimmy Dean Original Sausage
1 red bell pepper
1 red onion
1 whole head of garlic
1 package store bought mushrooms
1 can Muir Organics Italian Stewed Tomatoes Whole
1 can Muir Organics Italian Stewed Tomatoes Diced
1/2 cup marinara sauce
salt, pepper, garlic salt, and Italian spice blend to taste
1 package spaghetti noodles


I began by browning my sausage completely and setting aside.

Jimmy Dean, original sausage. It was a great change up to regular ol' ground beef.

  Next, I chopped and use my food processor to get my veggies ready. By hand, I sliced up my red bell pepper, pretty chunky and my mushrooms into thick slices. Then, I added my red onion and head of garlic to this bad boy and chopped it down really fine.


My new Hamilton Beach food processor. Thanks mom!! This bad boy took a good 15 minutes off my cooking/chopping



Red bell pepper and mushrooms for my sauce

 Into a large saute pan, I first added my marinara, canned tomatoes, and my onion/garlic mixture. I let this simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then salt, peppered, garlic salted, and Italian spice blended it to taste. (with the help of my honey) I then let that all simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes. Lastly, on medium-low heat, I added in my bell peppers and mushroom and let that cook, only until they were soft. When the veggies were soft, I added in my drained sausage and called it good.

Oh yeah, I cooked the noodles according to package directions and tossed it in a little bit of EVOO when it was done.

The sauce was hearty, chunky with vegetables, and uniquely flavored by the sausage. Best of all..everyone LOVED it! Ooohhh yeah!!!

 I kept the noodles and sauce separate so everyone could take what they wanted. YUM! I used Franz brand Garlic Sourdough for soppin' up the sauce. So good.


My new sauce, served over spaghetti noodle, with a slice of store bought Garlic Sourdough bread.