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4 sausages, such as lamb, savoury pork, hot Italian or a mix
1 large onion
1 tbsp olive oil
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 yellow bell pepper
796-mL can diced tomatoes
1/2 450-g pkg fusilli, rigatoni or ziti pasta, about 3 cups
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh basil, or cilantro
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut sausages in half and chop onion. Heat oil in another large wide saucepan set over medium heat. Squeeze meat from casings into hot oil. Discard casings. Add onion, garlic and salt. Using a fork, stir frequently to keep meat crumbly. Cook until meat is no longer pink, from 5 to 6 minutes. Core and seed pepper. Slice into strips, then add to pan with tomatoes. Increase heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, to develop flavour, about 10 minutes.
Once sausage mixture is simmering, add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions, about 10 minutes. Drain pasta well, then stir into sausage mixture. Stir in mint and basil. Remove from heat and serve immediately with grated Parmesan, if you like. Sausages lack sizzle? Stir in some ground cumin, dried thyme or oregano leaves, dried or fresh rosemary, dried chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
Calories 381, Protein 16.2g, Carbohydrates 37.3g, Fat 18.7g, Fibre 3.2g, Sodium 934mg.
Voula Halliday, a Toronto food writer, treated us to this simple yet satisfying meal packed with fresh ingredients. A true foodie, she enjoys poking about the markets on weekends and always includes a visit to her local butcher.