The Family Red Sauce (with Sausage)

The Family Red Sauce (w/ Italian Sausage)

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-in a 7” bowl in slate blue bowl

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-Ingredients-

1- 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1- 6 oz can tomato paste

½ of a medium size yellow onion

4 cloves garlic

1 tbsp fennel seeds

½ tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp brown sugar

Salt and black pepper to taste

1 ½  tbsp olive oil

2 lbs (10 count) sweet, mild, or hot Italian sausage

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-Method-

Heat olive oil in a 4+ quart lidded pot on medium-high (enamel cast iron is ideal). While heating, chop onion into ⅛ “ slices. Sear sausage links on all sides, until dark brown, but not cooked through, then set aside. Saute onion in pot until just tender (2-4 minutes) sprinkling with salt. Press or mince garlic cloves and add to saute, stirring frequently. Add fennel, black pepper, and red pepper shortly after garlic.

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As soon as garlic starts to toast add in diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes along with all liquids from the cans, and tomato paste. Once fully incorporated, add brown sugar and return sausage to sauce, reducing the heat to low and fastening the lid. Let simmer 1 to 5 hours, stirring on occasion. You can also transfer the sauce to a crock pot for 4-6 hours.

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The sauce should start to darken in color after 2 hours. Salt to taste.

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Remove sausage from sauce, and serve over hearty pasta, such as rigatoni or penne. Top with parmesan. 

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Enjoy! Serves 5.