Rigatoni With Sausage and Mushrooms

This is what I call a "zipper"recipe. It's a great starting place for beginning cooks and you can "zip" in additional ingredients, take some out and generally make things up. It freezes well for lunches at work or in bulk.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil or 2  tablespoons  vegetable oil
• 4  hot Italian sausages or 4  mild Italian sausage
• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 2  garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1  yellow peppers, chopped (optional) or 1  red pepper (optional)
• 8  ounces fresh mushrooms, halved or 250  g fresh mushrooms
• 6  tablespoons chicken broth or 6  tablespoons  dry wine or 6  tablespoons sherry wine
• 28  ounces tomatoes (chopped or crushed) or 796  ml tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons dried marjoram
• 1⁄2 cup fresh basil, chopped or 2  tablespoons dried basil
• 1⁄4 cup black olives, sliced or 1⁄4 cup green olives
• 1  teaspoon  salt and pepper
• 500  g rigatoni pasta or 500  g  other shaped pasta
• 2  ounces parmesan cheese, grated (optional)

Directions

1. In a large non stick skillet, heat half the oil and brown the sausages. Remove from pan and cool slightly, then slice into ¼ in (1 cm) rounds.
2. Start heating the water in which to cook the pasta.
3. In a clean saucepan, heat remaining oil and saute onions for 2-3 min then add the garlic and the red/yellow pepper and the mushrooms. Cook until tender.
4. ** ALTERNATE METHOD**.
5. *simply remove the sausage from the casing and crumble the meat and saute it with the onions ,.
6. * add the other vegetables and continue****.
7. Stir in the wine or whatever, cook for 3-4 min until most of the liquid is absorbed.
8. Add the pureed tomatoes, basil, marjoram and the sausage if it isn’t in there already.
9. Bring to a boil, stir and reduce heat and let it simmer for about 15 min or so while pasta cooks.
10. When the water for the pasta boils, add about 10 ml salt then add pasta. Stir for a bit while it gets back to boiling.
11. Don’t let it boil over.
12. When the pasta is almost cooked, add the olives to the sauce and cook for a bit longer while waiting for the pasta.
13. Taste it. Add salt and pepper and Parmesan if you wish.
14. When the pasta is just cooked but not soft and gloopy, drain the pasta.
15. Toss the pasta and sauce together in the pot for a couple of minutes over low heat.
16. Serve.