Italian “Drunken” Noodles With Spicy Italian Sausage

This recipe took me a few days to accept.  I saw the Nutritional Information but missed the part where Sausage wasn't included.  So it was twice the amount of calories.  And it was a bit watery.   I just thought that it wasn't all that.

The next day the portion was huge (I gave some to the dogs), the flavors had melded and it was a lot better.

When talking to D, he thought we should keep the pasta separate and get more than 4 servings out of it the next time.  So we'll do that.

Italian “Drunken” Noodles With Spicy Italian Sausage

By eleno5485 on food.com

Photo by ALB

Prep Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Serves: 4, Yield: 4

Ingredients
1 TBSP olive oil
1 lb Italian chicken sausage (we used Italian Pork)
1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press
1/2 cup white wine
1 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil leaf, julienned, divided use
1/2 lb pappardelle pasta (we used 10 oz. fettuccine)

Directions
1. Place a large, heavy-bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat; add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and once the oil is hot, crumble the spicy Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you want to keep the sausage fairly chunky), allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side; once the crumbled sausage is browned, remove it from the pan/pot with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl to hold for a moment; next, add the sliced onion into the pan with the sausage drippings, and allow it to caramelize and become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil, if necessary); once the onion starts to become golden, add the salt, Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper, and stir to combine, then add in the sliced bell peppers, and allow those to saute with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden; next, add in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few moments, until almost completely reduced; next, add in the diced tomatoes with their juice, and return the browned spicy Italian sausage back into the pan, and gently fold the mixture to combine; allow it to gently simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off; to finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a silky, rich flavor, and add in the chopped parsley and about half of the julienned basil; stir, and keep warm while you prepare the noodles.

2. Prepare the pappardelle noodles according to instructions on package; then, drain the noodles very well, and add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine the pappardelle noodles with the sauce and all of the ingredients in it; check the seasoning to see if you need to add any additional salt or pepper.

3. To serve, add equal portions of the “Drunken” noodles to bowls, and garnish with a sprinkle of the remaining julienned basil; you can even top with shaved Parmesan, if desired, and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Nutritional Information (from My Fitness Pal with my changes/adds)
Calories: 703; Total Fat: 31 g; Saturated Fat: 10 g; Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g; Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g; Trans Fat: 0 g; Cholesterol: 70 mg; Sodium: 1702 mg; Potassium: 363 mg; Total Carbohydrate: 70 g; Dietary Fiber: 7 g; Sugars: 14 g; Protein: 28 g