Italian Recipes - Sausage and Tomato Sauced Pasta

Ingredients       

• 8 ounces dried penne, fettuccine, linguine, or rotelle pasta

• 1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 2 medium fennel bulbs, cut into thin wedges (about 2 cups)

• 1 26-ounce jar tomato-based pasta sauce

• 1/3 cup water

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Method:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well. Return to hot saucepan; cover and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet combine sausage and the 1 1/2 cups water. Heat to boiling. Cook, uncovered, over high heat for 10 minutes; drain. Return sausage to skillet.

3. Add fennel to sausage in skillet; cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until sausage is brown and fennel is crisp-tender. Add pasta sauce and the 1/2 cup water.

4. * Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Serve with pasta.

*NOTE: Swirl the 1/3 cup water. In the empty pasta sauce jar before adding it to the skillet to get every bit of sauce out of the jar.