Drunken Noodles with Italian Sausage

I found this recipe over at The Cozy Apron, and thought "gee, this has my name written all over it". Pasta? Check. Sausage? Check. Bell Peppers? Check.

That's a whole lotta yum. Right now, I'm starting to crave comfort food due to the weather getting chilly. Hey, this is MN. If we don't get snow next month then we're pretty lucky.

Since my hubby (aka, the Chef) was busy working in the garage, I had the opportunity to make this and thought I'd document it for you. Aren't we both lucky?!

First off, the recipe calls for spicy Italian sausage. Since we have a wee one in the house, I went with mild sausage. Also, you have to take it out of the casings. I am so not a fan of touching raw meat, but I sucked it up and got down to business.

Casing-less sausages

This is so you can break up the sausage into good, bite size pieces. Well worth it. Start some olive oil in a large pan while you de-casing the meat. What's the proper word here? No clue. Strip these babies!

Once you get the sausage in the pan, start chopping up your veggies while the meat browns. You'll need 1 of each color bell pepper, except green (or go with a green one too, what the hey?). Also, a full onion if you love onion, or a quarter of an onion if you're me. Plus, 4 cloves of garlic. Now is probably a good time to start your noodles. 

Yes, I did chop the garlic too. Just ran out of room on the cutting board.

Not pictured here is the can of diced tomatoes. Once the sausage is browned, remove from the pan and add onions to the grease. Let those caramelize a bit, then add your seasoning.

The recipe calls for fresh parsley and basil (added at the end - don't add yet!). But I hate buying herbs like that when I only have one recipe to use them for. That's when growing your own comes in handy, I suppose. Add in your bell peppers, and allow them to saute for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Once you can really smell the garlic, add in the white wine and let reduce.

The original recipe calls for 28 oz of diced tomatoes, or 2 normal sized cans. That's a lot of canned tomatoes for my liking, so I just added one can and I thought it came out fine.

Now you can add the sausage back in. Mix everything together really well, and let it simmer for a few minutes. The original recipe calls for another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. I was hesitant about this, but it really adds some flavor to the dish and helps keep everything moist.

Pretty colors!

Now you can add in your cooked noodles. The original recipe calls for Pappardelle noodles, which are long and wide. Because I don't live in a fancy-pants area, I could not find these and substituted egg noodles instead. Which also worked better for the kiddo. Add in your parsley and basil to the mixture. You can also top with a little more basil or even some Parmesan cheese.

Here's the final product. Sorry for the lame iphone photos!

This is delicious! Definitely a hearty meal, and pretty easy to make. Hey, if I could do it, then anyone can do it! Also, it makes a ton. Both adults had seconds, and there was still plenty left over to fill a medium sized Rubbermaid container. Hooray for leftovers!

Ingredients
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 4-6 Italian sausage links, casings removed
- diced onion (you decide how much)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 red, orange, and yellow bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped however you please
- 1/2 c white wine (or sub)
- 1 can diced tomato with juice
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 1/4 c basil, julienned (or use the fake stuff like me)
- 8 ounces Pappardelle noodles (or egg noodles like me)

Prep:
- Start some olive oil in a large pan while you de-casing the meat. Crumble sausage into the pan.

- Chop up your veggies while the meat browns. 

- Now is probably a good time to start your noodles. 

- Once the sausage is browned, remove from the pan and add onions to the grease. Let those caramelize a bit, then add salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.

- Add in your bell peppers, and allow them to saute for a few minutes, then add the garlic. Once you can really smell the garlic, add in the white wine and let reduce. 

- Add diced tomatoes and juice. Let cook for just a minute or two, then add the sausage back in. 

- Mix everything together, and let it simmer for a few minutes. Add in another 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil.

- Fold in cooked pasta.

- Top with more fresh basil and/or Parmesan cheese. 

Plate and enjoy!