Ziti con Salsiccia

I have to say that this is quickly becoming one of our family's favorite dishes.  I once had a friend make us a dinner that was very similar to this.  So...I set to work and came up with a dish that is absolutely wonderful, and so simple to make.  Here you go - Ziti con Salsiccia - Ziti with Sausage.

Ingredients:

1 lb. ziti

1 lb. italian sausage - mild

3 cloves garlic - chopped

1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes

1 can (8oz) tomato sauce

3/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. basil

1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Any time I make a pasta dish, the first thing I do is fill a large pot of water and get it on the stove.  Here in Texas (aka - sea level) it takes forever for water to come to boil.  Get that pot on early so you're not waiting for the pasta.

Place your sausages in a large non stick skillet and on medium to medium-high heat, brown all the edges.  These don't have to be cooked all the way through, just brown around the edges.  This should take around 7+ minutes. 

Another thing I should probably explain....I tend to cook at least three things at one time.  So...I thought I was turning down my skillet, but really I was turning down the temperature on my boiling water.  Hence the overly cooked edges on my sausages.  Oh well...they'll still work just fine. 

Once your sausages are brown along the edges, put your chopped garlic into the pan and saute for 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Next pour in your tomatoes and tomato sauce.  Stir to combine.

Now it's time to add your seasonings - onion powder, salt, thyme, oregano and basil.  I had some fresh thyme, so I threw a little bit of that in there too. It helped to give it a fresh summery taste.

Remember those not quite fully cooked sausages?  Nows the time to get those things cooking.  Take a fork and a knife and slice the sausages into 1/2 inch medallions.

By now your sauce and your water should be boiling.  Place your pasta in the water and cook according to package directions - it should be around 10 minutes.   Here's a little hint - if you like your pasta with a little more sauce then only cook about 3/4 of a pound of ziti.

Turn your sauce down to a simmer and continue to simmer the sausages in the sauce while your pasta cooks - about 10 minutes.

If it all works out according to plan, your pasta and your sauce are both done at the same time.

Drain the pasta, and place it back in the large pot.  Pour the sauce over the top and stir to combine.

You could eat it just like this and serve it fresh out of the pot, but I decided to jazz it up a bit.

I threw on some mozzarella cheese, because, let's face it....everything is better with cheese.

Then stick it under the broiler for a few minutes until your cheese melts and gets slightly golden brown....but watch it close so it doesn't burn.

And there you have it - Ziti con Salsiccia.

Simple, delicious, and absolutely beautiful.