Rigatoni Sausage Supreme

Willam's Note:

I love Italian foods, especially those easy to prepare and freezer store. I lost a rigatoni and sweet Italian sausage dish that I liked so decided to create one of my own. I added spices such as allspice I thought would blend well.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 20 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 16 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 1 -1 1/4 lb sweet mild Italian sausage (bulk or links with the casings removed)
• 4 slices slightly crisp bacon, chopped fine (or you may use bacon bits instead)
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes (if you like it hot) (optional) or 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies (if you like it hot) (optional)
• 3 garlic cloves (more if you like garlic)
• 2 large onions
• 4 stalks celery
• 2 bell peppers
• 4 tablespoons dried parsley
• 2 tablespoons dried sweet basil leaves
• 1 tablespoon crushed fennel seed
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil (to keep pasta from sticking)
• water (as needed, to keep sauce from becoming too thick)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil (if needed in braising the sausage) (optional)

Directions:

1. Chop vegetables fine and sauté in 1/4 cup olive oil until soft.
2. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet braise and break sausage into small pieces.
4. Add olive oil if needed to prevent sticking.
5. When thoroughly browned, add tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato-paste, vegetables, spices, bacon bits and one-cup water.
6. Simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.
7. Add water as needed to maintain sauce consistency.
8. To cook the rigatoni: Add 1/4 cup olive oil to twice the amount of unsalted boiling water necessary to cover the rigatoni.
9. Cook rigatoni al dente according to package directions (about 8-10 minutes.) When rigatoni is al dente, drain, toss with sauce and place on large serving dish.
10. You also can store in twelve GLAD 8 oz containers or six GLAD 16 oz containers for freezer storage.
11. The aroma of the frozen servings is even more pleasing as they reheat in a microwave oven.
12. A fresh tomato salad with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing completes the meal.