Rigatoni with Vegan Sausages & Peppers

Thank you all for your kind words on my Blog Anniversary.

I have never tasted a real sausage, but I love love love vegan sausages. If the real sausage tastes anything like their vegan counterpart, I’m sure I’ll love them too. But come to think of it, I guess I like the texture of seitan more than the taste, so I don’t know if I would like the real sausage. Well we’ll never know and I prefer to keep it that way.
I made this dish with Julie Hasson’s Italian sausages that I froze and store-bought pasta sauce for a quick weeknight dinner, the result was amazing that even my son was slurping down the sauce.

Ingredients: (Makes 6 servings)
Rigatoni – 16 oz.
Onion – 1 medium, chopped
Garlic – 2 cloves, minced
Vegan sausages – 2, sliced into half moons
Banana peppers – 2 large, sliced
Pasta sauce – 1 16oz. bottle (I used Bertolli’s Vidalia Onion pasta sauce)
Salt & pepper – to taste
Pecorino cheese – ¼ cup
Dried or fresh basil

Method:

• Cook pasta as per package directions.
• While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce; heat 1tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. When hot, add onions and garlic, sauté till translucent; add peppers, cover and cook till they turn tender.
• Add seitan and sauté for couple of minutes.
• Now add the pasta sauce and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
• If the sauce is too thick, add pasta water to thin it out. Season with salt & pepper.
• To serve I like to add little sauce to pasta along with couple of teaspoons of cheese and then add more sauce in individual plates with some more cheese on top. Enjoy warm.

We are off on a 1 week vacation to Sweden and I'll be back for Memorial Day. I've few posts from my drafts scheduled to post while I'm gone, so I don't get too too old. I'll be back with pics and new posts end of this month. Oh and also my entries to all the events that I've cooked for so far.