Penne Pasta with Hearty Meat Sauce

By srumbel

I love a good skillet recipe, especially when the whole dish can be prepared in just the one pan. Less mess, less dishes to wash…it’s a good thing. This wonderful (30 minute!) Penne Pasta with Hearty Meat Sauce is my latest attempt at the one skillet meal and it turned out fabulously. My family loved it, and I loved the ease of it all. The sauce has a wonderful, rich Italian flavor and the pasta cooks right in the sauce. Bonus! No need to cook it separately.
from jamiecooksitup.net

Ingredients

• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 pound pork sausage
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans Italian Style Diced Tomatoes
• 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp fennel
• 1 tsp oregano
• pinch red pepper flakes
• 1 Tb beef bouillon granules
• 1 Tb lemon juice
• 1 Tb balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 C hot water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 (1 pounce) box mini penne
• 2 C mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 C parmesan cheese

Preparation

Step 1

1. Chop 1 small onion and mince 3 cloves of garlic.
2. Heat a deep skillet up over medium high heat. You'll want to be sure to use a skillet that is wide and deep. I used one that is 3 inches deep and 11 1/2 inches wide. You also want to be sure it is oven safe. I picked my skillet up at Costco, the brand is T-Fal.
3. Add 1 pound pork sausage and the onions and garlic to the hot pan. Allow the sausage to brown and the onions to become translucent. Should only take about 5 minutes.
4. Drain the grease from the pan.
5. Add 3 (14.5 ounce) cans of Italian Style Diced Tomatoes (un-drained), 2 (8 ounce) cans of tomato sauce, 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp fennel, 1 tsp oregano, 1 Tb beef bullion granules, 1 Tb lemon juice, 1 Tb balsamic vinegar, 1/2 C hot water, 1/4 tsp salt and 1/8 tsp pepper.
Give it all a nice stir to combine and bring it to a simmer.
6. Grab a (1 pound) box of penne pasta. We are only going to use half of this box. When the sauce is simmering nicely, pour half of the box of pasta into the hot sauce. Give the pasta a stir to incorporate it into the sauce.
7. Bring the sauce back to a simmer, cover the pan and let it cook for 7-8 minutes, or until the pasta has cooked through. Be carefully not to let it over cook. You don't want the pasta to be too soggy.
8. Turn your oven to broil.
9. Sprinkle the pan with 2 C mozzarella cheese and 1/2 C parmesan cheese. Pop it into the oven for 2-3 minutes (please, oh please make sure your pan is oven safe) so the cheese can melt and get golden brown on top. Be super careful to watch it. It will melt quickly.
10. Allow the pan to sit on the counter for about 5 minutes, then serve and enjoy!

Yield: 6-7 servings