Cheesy Italian sausage Rigatoni

1/2 lb rigatoni pasta
1/2 or 1lb hot or mild Italian sausage, depends on how much meat ya like in it, try half lb first time to be safe
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups prepared marinara sauce
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
extra virgin olive oil

- Cook Rigatoni until tender in large pot, drain pasta. Meanwhile, preheat broiler. Remove casing from sausage and fry in frying pan over medium high heat until no longer pink, stirring frequently and breaking up with back of a wooden spoon. Add garlic and saute until soft, about 1-2 minutes. Drain off excess oil and return pan to medium high heat.Add marinara sauce and crushed red pepper. Dump rigatoni into a baking dish large enough to hold it all, toss in the sauce and mix in 1/4 cup of the mozarella cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle parmesan and remaining 1/4 cup mozzerella over top. Place under broiler until cheese melts and begins to brown, watching closly to prevent burning, about 1 1/2 minute, should look like the top of a pizza (melted cheese). Sprinkle with parsley and Olive oil on top and serve. Fresh parsely is a must, nothing beats fresh herbs.


marinara sauce (tomatoe sauce)

- 28oz can diced tomatoes with juice
- 14-16oz can of tomatoe sauce or 14-16oz can of whole tomatoes crushed by hand with juice
- 3-4tbs olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large or two small yellow onions diced
- 1 small can tomatoe paste. I use presidents choice tomatoe paste cause its richer flavour
- You can add some dried spices if ya want like oregano, italian seasoning, but I usually dont for this

Heat pan on medium heat, add olive oil and saute onions for about 2-3 mins and then add garlic sauting until you can smell it and soft (about a min), add tomatoe cans and simmer for about 15 minutes then add tomatoe paste, stir and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Once done blend it all in a blender, take out what you need for recipe and freeze rest for future use, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

I think thats about it for this one, its pretty good if done right and you can make marinara day before or morning of to save yourself some time.