Cooking with Denise: Super Quick Pasta with Sauce & Italian Sausage (ready in about 30 mins)

I am so excited to post my first ever guest blogger:
Denise from Dublin, California! Here she is! With a thumb up to the greasy fried Hungarian dough called "Langos" which is Oh so delicious with sour cream and cheese on top! Yummm! (Not for those weak at heart though!)

We met many, many years ago in a chat room if you can believe it? No, no it wasn't a dating site, but rather a Hungarian chat room, where everyone knew each other. I seriously can't even recall if we ever met in person??? Denise? Have we? (Photo below! Unbelievable! :) Nevertheless, we remained in touch through the internet and FB mostly these days.

I always wonder what's cooking in everyone else's kitchen (I know well that our neighbors eat bacon with bacon on bacon, because we sometimes wake up to a smell of it in the bedroom, then we take a shower doused in this aroma also, as it penetrates these two rooms of our apartment the most ... ). 
So,  I thought to make my friends the stars of the cooking page and bring you easy, quick recipes from the girl/boy next door.




Super Quick Pasta with Sauce & Italian Sausage (ready in about 30 mins)

1-2 Tbsp Olive oil (EVOO)

1 package hot Italian sausage (Italian turkey sausage would work too if you are watching calories and or spiciness)...I find this works the best though

1 can Tomato sauce

1/2 can water (once you empty the sauce out)

Basil leaves, extra garlic - to taste

1/2 box of mini farfalle (bowtie) pasta

2 Tbsp heavy cream

Italian/French - dense- bread slices

butter and or EVOO

garlic or garlic powder

some shredded mozzarella cheese

some fresh Parmesan cheese 

Heat the Olive oil in a large pan. Remove sausage from casing and place in hot pan. As it's browning, start breaking them up into smaller lumps with a wooden spoon. You can also add in some additional garlic if you like extra garlic, otherwise all the flavor you need will come out of the sausage and you really don't need anything else.

Once the sausage chunks are browned, pour the tomato sauce over it and add 1/2 can water. Stir well. Add extra basil (fresh or dry) or any other Italian seasonings. Not really necessary though as I mentioned. Let this simmer for about 20-30 mins. Stir occasionally.

While the sausage and the sauce are cooking and coming together, you can start prepping the pasta. 

Boil the water and cook the pasta according to the directions. I prefer to use the mini bowtie pasta, it just works so well with the sauce and the sausage.

While the pasta water is coming to a boil and pasta is cooking, prep the bread. Italian, French, something dense basically. Put some butter on it, drizzle the olive oil, some mashed garlic or garlic powder and then top with the 2 kinds of cheeses...if you only have one kind, that's fine too..or just butter and garlic is yummy too! Place the prepped bread slices on a baking sheet.

Drain the pasta once it's cooked and the sauce should be just about ready by now. Add a good splash or 2Tbsp of heavy cream to the sauce, or not. It takes the acidity down a bit and makes it even tastier. 

Stir and cook/heat another 1-3 mins...

In the oven, turn the broiler on High, and broil your prepped bread slices for a few mins (3) - 

but watch it, it  melts/toasts real quick!

Finally, add the drained pasta to the sauce and sausage ... 

serve with the hot cheesy garlicky toasted bread slices and voila ...

Dinner is ready!

Such an easy recipe, can easily be altered to various tastes...you can use Italian turkey sausage, regular mild sausage, whole wheat pasta, whole grain bread... Great as lunch leftovers next day!

Thank you Denise for cooking for all of us! Yummm! 

Do you have a recipe to share? 

I'd love to feature your recipe here, so email me or send me a message on Facebook to LoLoVie. 

LO(lo)V(i)E till next week from Guatemala, 

Elvi