When
it comes to this penne pasta with spicy sausage ragu recipe, we aren't
just cheating a little, were cheating all over the place. Thanks to two
simple shortcuts, this recipe is nothing more than a basic "brown and
simmer." Really, that's it – brown and simmer. Oh, you do have to boil
some penne pasta, but I think you can find a way to work that into your
busy schedule.First of all, we're using ready-made marina sauce. Ideally, this is from a batch of homemade you whipped up after watching this video, but if not, I used a jar of Barilla, and you are free to do the same, guilt-free. Using a prepared sauce excuses you from the kind of mincing and dicing that can often turn a meal like this into a call to the local pizzeria.
The
second, and most ingenious cheat is using spicy Italian sausage instead
of plain old ground meat. Any decent brand should be packed with an
array of spices, herbs, and garlic that traditionally accompanies the
pork into the casing. Think about it; if you like the flavor of the
Italian sausage you usually buy, then I'm thinking you'd like the flavor
of this ragu.I
usually start this in a dry, cold saucepan, and cook over medium heat
until it's ready for the wet ingredients. If your sausage seems
particularly lean, you can toss in a glug of olive oil to get things
going. Conversely, if there seems to be lots of grease in the pan,
simply drain some off before continuing the sauce.