Sausage, peppers and pasta

Years ago I threw together a dinner that was so simple, but just worked.

It started out easily enough. I had a package of cooked kielbasa, a handful of peppers, an onion and some pasta. I went looking for some sauce to make it with. My eyes first landed on spaghetti sauce. OK, that was obvious, but for some reason I looked further. I also spied the liquid smoke and the salsa.

Before you get all bothered by liquid smoke, it is not some concoction of chemicals. They burn wood down to embers and place it in water. After sitting for a time the water is filtered and what you have left if liquid smoke. That’s it. I find that a few drops will make my indoor cooking taste a little more like outdoor. It is never more perfect than with sausage fried in a pan.

I cooked my pasta, fried up the sausage and veggies with a little liquid smoke and started some of the pasta sauce on the burner. I often find spaghetti sauce a little heavy and will often skimp on it when mixing it with pasta. I do like a little kick to my flavors, so I mixed the sauce with salsa at a 50/50 ratio. It was fabulous!

Look at that deliciousness!

This time around I had a jar of RJ’s Diavolo Sauce. Most diavolo sauces have a little more flavor than standard sauces but are still pretty weak. RJ’s blows them all away. So much so, that when I use it in this dish, I skip the added salsa entirely.

RJ’s Pepper Pantry makes this sauce and jars hot peppers. They are both great and I wholly recommend the sauce for this dish.

The sauce is heating.

Pasta cooking.

Love that color.

The sausage and liquid smoke.

All together.

And with the sauce.

Sausage, peppers and pasta

INGREDIENTS

• 12oz of your favorite pasta

• ½ medium sized jar of pasta sauce

• ½ medium sized jar of salsa (If you use RJ’s diavolo sauce with peppers skip the salsa and use the whole jar)

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 1/2 lb turkey or pork Italian sausage, casings removed, cut diagonally in 1/2 ” pieces

• 1 onion, cut in 1″ squares

• Liquid smoke

• 1 red bell pepper, cut in 1″ squares

• 1 yellow bell pepper, cut in 1″ squares

DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to directions.

Heat pasta sauce and salsa in a saucepan.

In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the sausage, onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook till onion is tender and sausage is cooked thoroughly. Sprinkle with several drops of liquid smoke.

Add drained pasta, sauce and sausage mixture in large pot. Mix to coat thoroughly. Serve.