Red Pepper & Turkey Sausage Rigatoni

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente in heavily salted water.

Ok, it sounds weird, but this is how I cook the sausage. Put about 1/4 inch of water and 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet with a lid and place over Med-High heat. Add the sausages and cover. Cook until sausages appear to be cooked through, then remove lid and allow water to evaporate. Then, and only then, will the sausages start to brown. Continue cooking sausages, turning until brown on all sides. Remove sausages from skillet.

Add the other Tablespoon of olive oil, onions and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until they start to soften. While you’re at it, scrape up all the browned yummies left over from the sausage on the bottom of the pan. After a few minutes have passed, add the peppers and continue cooking for about 3-5 minutes more. You want the peppers to soften a little, but you don’t want them to get mushy or lose their color. While the pepper, onions & garlic are cooking, cut up the sausages (into bite sized pieces).

Right before you drain the pasta, use a coffee mug or something like it, to reserve some of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and then dump it right back into the pot from which it came. Add the veggies, tomato paste, sausage, cheese and pasta water and toss it all around together until everything is nice and happy. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

At this point, I usually garnish with just a bit of fresh Italian parsley and several shaves of cheese.