Easy Spaghetti Supper

Zucchini Season — Another Way to Use Your Garden’s Bounty

Easy Spaghetti & Sausage Supper

1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large zucchini, cut in large chunks
8 ounces Italian sausage*
1 (26-oz.) can crushed tomatoes, undrained, or puréed tomatoes
1 (14 ½ -oz.) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
¼ to ⅓ cup fresh, chopped basil
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
12 to 16 ounces thin spaghetti, use your favorite

Crumble sausage into a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic. Cook over medium heat until sausage is browned and crumbly, stirring occasionally, drain fat.
Add tomatoes and seasonings. Stir in zucchini, return to a simmer. Cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until zucchini is tender and sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. If you prefer the zucchini to “melt away” into the sauce, cook awhile longer
Place cooked pasta on serving dish and top with meat sauce; sprinkle sparingly with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Serve additional cheese alongside.

*If you cannot find bulk sausage, use sausage links. With tip of paring knife, make a slit down the center of the sausage links, peel back casings and crumble sausage into large saucepan, discarding casings.

For a more spicy sauce: use hot Italian sausage or a mix of mild and hot. Also, optional, add ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.

PASTA cooking TIPS:

Aside from the well-known trick of adding a tablespoon of olive or other vegetable oil to boiling water to prevent pasta pieces' sticking, you can also rub vegetable oil around the top of the pot to prevent water from boiling over while pasta is cooking, a very common problem with a very simple solution..

You can find the above recipe(s) by tapping here on the Home Cookin' index.

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