When we were having some friends over for dinner a couple weeks after I made this, I knew I wanted to serve it to them. It’s one of those really easy meals that looks super fancy. The guests always think that I’ve gone all out, but it really is nothing to put together. I always start with a fresh garden salad and then pair it up with a nice homemade bread. It’s just as good as going out to an expensive restaurant, but you don’t have to pay the huge bill at the end. The leftovers are already home with you too, so you don’t have to worry about forgetting anything!
Done quickly with hardly any cleanup? Count me in!
Ingredients
1 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
1/4 c Jimmy Dean Italian sausage, freshly ground
1/4 c chorizo, freshly ground
1/2 c Kraft mozzarella cheese, freshly ground
1/2 c parmesan cheese, freshly grated
4 – 5 oz your favorite pasta, i’m using spaghetti
2 c Ragu chunky pasta sauce
1/4 tsp oregano, dried variety
1/4 tsp basil, dried variety
salt, kosher variety, to taste
white pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
PREP/PREPARE
Gather your ingredients (mise en place).
Cook the spaghetti in a pot of boiling water, until al dente.
Remove the pasta, and reserve with about 1/4 cup of the pasta water.
Add the oil to a skillet over medium heat.
Chef’s Note: This skillet needs to be big enough to hold all the recipe ingredients, and be ovenproof. My skillet of choice is cast iron, but any good ovenproof skillet will do nicely.
Add the Italian sausage, and chorizo to the pan, and cook until no longer pink, about 3 – 5 minutes.
Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into crumbly bits.
Add the dry spices to the pasta sauce, and season with a bit of salt and pepper, if needed.
Chef’s Note: I prefer my pasta sauce a bit on the chunky side.
Reduce the heat to low, add the sauce to the skillet, and combine with the cooked sausage.
Add the pasta, the reserved pasta water, and toss with the sauce.
Evenly sprinkle the two cheeses over the top.
Place under a broiler until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 3 – 4 minutes.
PLATE/PRESENT
Serve while still nice and hot with some crusty rolls. Enjoy.
Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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Quick Tip: Any kind of pasta shells can be used in this dish and it’s still super tasty.
Thanks to Budget Bytes for this great photo.
