Leftover ingredients + forced creativity = awesome unexpected dinner. I had sausage from the Scarpariello frozen and fresh mozzarella + sauce leftover from pizza Friday night. Plus, I wanted to use some of the goodies that I made recently like chicken stock and roasted peppers. A little kitchen alchemy and viola a new dish is born!
Prep time: 5mins Cook time: 15minsGet yourself:
- 1lb Sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1lb Mezzi Rigatoni
- 2C Tomato sauce
- 2C Fresh mozzarella, cubed
- 1C Roasted peppers, drained, rinsed, sliced into strips
- 2C Grape tomatoes
- 1C Chicken broth
- 6 Cloves roasted garlic, mashed or 3 cloves fresh minced
- 1T Olive oil
- 1T Capers, non-salted
- 1T Dry oregano
- 1T Chopped parsley
- 1t Garlic powder
- 1t Asian Chili-Garlic sauce
- 1t Smoked paprika
- S&cracked pepper
Split open the casing and pull out the goodness
Mix it up so there aren’t any big chunks and give this a rough chop
Heat the oil and garlic over medium-high for ~2mins
Once you have some nice caramelization on the sausage…
Sprinkle on your smoked paprika
Toss in the whole grape tomatoes
These little guys are great; they burst in your mouth while eating
A little special effects for the dinner table
Add in the roasted peppers and capers and saute for ~1min
Your pasta should be in the water by now…
For the sauce…
Add in tomato sauce, chicken broth, oregano, and s&p…
…and if you want some heat add in……some chili garlic sauce
Believe me when I tell you a little goes a LONG way
This stuff is badass; you can pick it up at Shop Rite in the ethnic food aisle
Stir it all up
Bring to a boil for ~2mins
Reduce to simmer for ~10mins
Sauce should have thickened a bit
Taste and adjust for seasoning (add in the garlic powder if you feel it needs it)
Drain pasta and add back to pot
Place over medium-low flame
Quickly toss in your fresh mozzarella, parsley, and stir it all up
Mozz will begin to melt
Keep stirring
Scoop some of that oozy, cheesy deliciousness into a bowl
It’s like a festival of goodness happening on the plate and in your mouth…
…little grape tomatoes burst sweet juice that balances out the brine and tang of the capers, as well as the saltiness of the sausage…
…creamy, silky, melty, oozy fresh mozzarella bonds everything together…
…mezzi rigatoni’s large empty cavity is like a basket that fills up with goodness…
…smoked paprika gives the dish a great smokey earthiness and the chili sauce heats it all up…
…you’re gonna have to taste it for yourself…
Enjoy!