My Go-To Weeknight Dish: Pasta with Sausage, Rosemary and Tomatoes

It has been a particularly exhausting couple of weeks here at the umommy household. Juggling Milk Day at my son's school (which was a runaway success - can't wait to share the deets soon!), parent/teacher conferences, busy work schedules and some family issues had us ordering takeout, eating out or turning to old "go-to" recipes for dinner more than usual.

Everyone has their go-to dish: a meal you can whip up by memory and will sure to please just about anyone.  They often consist of ingredients you have on hand. And is usually something you can make quickly and feel good about serving. Read: not a frozen pizza/canned soup/box mac and cheese and the like. Don't get me wrong! Those meals can be life-savers too (have you seen our freezer and pantry?). A go-to dish is something made from (mostly) scratch. For us, it's pasta with sausage, rosemary and tomatoes.

We discovered this recipe in Michael Schlow's It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life cookbook. It is ultra simple to make and only takes a whopping 20 minutes to whip up once you get a pot of water boiling. Not to mention the entire family's favorite dish. Okay, okay. I'll share.

Pasta with Sausage, Rosemary and Tomatoes
Adapted from Michael Schlow's It's About Time: Great Recipes for Everyday Life


Ingredients

• 1 lb pasta (penne or rigatoni is best)
• 1 lb sweet Italian sausages, removed from casing and crumbled
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
• 28 oz can plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup whole Italian parsley leaves

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt and cook pasta according to directions
2. Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, using a wooden spoon to break up sausage and cook for about five minutes
3. Add garlic to sausage and cook for two minutes. Pour off all but a tablespoon of grease.
4. Season sausage mixture with salt, pepper, red pepper and rosemary
5. Add tomatoes and cook on high until tomatoes start to break down and sauce begins to evaporate and thickens (about five minutes)
6. Stir in butter and combine until melted.
7. Add cooked pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Add cheese and parsley and serve!