Italian Drunken Noodles
By
Lisa Swarm
@ShoeGirl
11
Blue Ribbon Recipe
There are so many things to love about this easy pasta dinner. It's simple, made with inexpensive ingredients, beautiful, and tastes amazing. The Italian sausage gives this unmistakenly Italian flavor. Colorful bell peppers add a mild flavor and combine with the tomatoes nicely. Pasta isn't the star of this recipe so the mild egg noodles are the perfect pasta choice. Wine adds a lot of flavor, as do the fresh parsley and basil. Topping with a bit of fresh Parmesan makes is tasty. This recipe is casual enough to be served as a weeknight dinner but could be presented on a platter and served at a dinner party. If you have leftovers, this is even better the next day.
Ingredients
-
1 lbItalian sausage
-
1 1/2 tspsalt
-
1 tspItalian seasoning
-
1/2 tspblack pepper
-
1red pepper, diced
-
1yellow pepper, diced
-
1orange pepper, diced
-
4 clovegarlic, minced
-
1/2 cwhite wine (like chardonnay)
-
1 can(s)diced tomatoes with juice (28 ounce)
-
2 Tbspparsley
-
1/4 cbasil, fresh
-
12 ozegg noodles
-
·Fresh Parmesan cheese, optional
How to Make Italian Drunken Noodles
- Place a large, heavy-bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat; add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, crumble the spicy Italian sausage in the pan to small chunks allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments.
- 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.
- Place in the pan the diced bell peppers, salt, Italian seasoning, and cracked black pepper. Stir to combine. Allow those to saute for about 2 minutes until slightly tender.
- Next, add in the garlic.
- Once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few moments, until almost completely reduced.
- Add in the diced tomatoes with their juice.
- To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a silky, rich flavor. Add in the chopped parsley and about half of the julienned basil.
- 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. Stir and keep warm while you prepare the noodles.
- Prepare the egg noodles according to instructions on package.
- Then, drain the noodles very well.
- Add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine the egg 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.
- 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.
