I planned on sharing this recipe before we moved, but everything was even more hectic than I imagined. And now we’re moved, and getting slowly settled in. It’s been just over 2 weeks and while the house is starting to look like home – there’s been some unexpected findings and lots of ideas and plans discussed. All of the outlets and switches are an almond color, which is not to our liking, so we decided to swap them out for white. Well, turns out a good amount of them are upside down, the electrical wires are SHORT so there’s almost no room to work AND about half the time the ground wire wasn’t even connected! We’ve replaced as we paint each room, so the kids and master is done; the living/dining room is painted and we need to order more outlets since we bought out everything local. We also had to replace the garbage disposer last night since it stopped working – but it ended up being a good thing because the pipes under the sink were in terrible shape and not even connected!
There’s so many future plans as well. We have a spare bedroom we’ll be setting up as a guest room, and it has it’s own full bathroom, but both are small and a little cramped. We are currently talking about knocking down the walls and re-configuring the bathroom and closet to make everything fit better. Plans to expand our outdoor spaces have been dreamt up and I spent some time this morning getting inspiration for furniture to build for eating and lounging.
But, meanwhile! I thought it would be nice to share a recipe we love and make often. My dad found the recipe somewhere years ago and I’ve adapted it to our tastes, it’s also one that I don’t use many measurements with because it’s so forgiving. We call it Toni Time, but Sausage Meatball Pasta would be fitting.
Ingredients:
1-2lbs Sausage (mild, sweet, hot – your choice; links or ground)
1 Red Onion
2 Shallots
3-5 Ripe Tomatoes
White Wine
1- 28oz jar peeled tomatoes
Fresh or Dried: Thyme, Rosemary
Salt, Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
Pasta, we like Rigatoni
First, we’re going to form the sausage into small, bite sized, meatballs. Add some oil to a large skillet and begin browning them on all sides. White they cook, dice up your red onion and shallots. You can dice by hand or use a food processor for a finer result, depending on whether you like a chunky or smooth sauce. Add the diced onions into the sausage, season with some salt and cook on a low temperature until soft. This will take a few minutes.
While the onions cook, chop up your fresh tomatoes. Add a few splashes of wine into the skillet and cook it off before adding the tomatoes. Throw in some thyme and rosemary to taste. Drop the temperature to low and cover, stirring occasionally. Let cook for about 15 minutes. This is the perfect time to start getting your pasta ready also.
Next, we’re going to add in the jar of peeled tomatoes. If you like a chunky sauce, just pour it right in and let them break down as they cook. If you want something smoother you can either use an immersion blender or put them into a food processor or blender. This is where you can optionally add in some red pepper flakes to add a little heat. Cover again and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring often. Keep the temperature very low or you can burn the bottom (ask me how I know).
If your pan is big enough, I recommend adding the pasta straight into it and letting everything meld together, but I usually have more than can fit so I have to mix it in our bowls. It’s still good, though! Add some nice buttered bread to mop up the sauce with and everyone will be going back for seconds!
I’m making some beef enchiladas for tonight but writing this up reminds me I need to get it on the dinner list ASAP! What’s on your menu this week?
Seams Like Style 
Oh my God yummmmmmmm — I remember you made this for us in BL. Soooooo good!!!!
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