Firehall Sausage and Vegetable Pasta

Star Tested

This is a scaled-down version of a pasta dish Wendt makes for the firefighters when he’s on cooking duty. It’s hearty, fast, packed with vegetables and elements can be prepared side by side with another person (one person’s in charge of vegetables, another is crumbling the sausage, for example). This will make more than two portions, ideal for couples who would rather hibernate all weekend with leftovers and TV marathons. 1-28 oz can (796 ml) crushed tomatoes 4 hot Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil 3 finely minced garlic cloves 1 finely chopped medium sweet onion 1 of each zucchini, red pepper, green pepper, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tbsp (15 ml) finely chopped fresh oregano 1-375 g box dried whole wheat penne Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving In a large saucepan over low heat, add crushed tomatoes and bring to a bare simmer to keep warm.

In another large pan over mediumhigh heat, crumble sausage. Sauté until browned. Transfer sausage and pan grease to a bowl. Set aside.

Using same pan over medium heat, add oil. Add garlic, onion, zucchini and peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté until vegetables are slightly browned and softened.

To saucepan of crushed tomatoes, add vegetables, cooked sausage and grease. Add oregano. Salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and rinse. Stir cooked pasta into sauce, or ladle sauce on top of pasta on a plate.

Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of Parmesan.

Makes 4 servings.