Farfalle with Spicy Tomato Meat Sauce

I first had this dish when I was ten years old. My aunt whipped this up at her house, and it was game over for everyone in my family. Best. Pasta. Ever.

We have always called it "farfalle" but that's actually just the name of the noodle we use! You can use the full name that I just made up because I didn't want you to think I just posted on how to boil noodles... or you can just call it Farfalle like I do.

Whatever you call it, prepare to become addicted. Seriously, 10+ years and the deliciousness of this dish has not worn off at all for me!

These are just general guidelines for this dish -- make it your own by adding more or less of any the ingredients to suit your hungry belly!

Ingredients:
Hot Jimmy Dean Sausage (or 16 oz. of ground pork sausage)
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 yellow onion,diced
1 green bell pepper, diced


Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Bring a large pot of water to boil, satl generously, and cook the noodles as directed. Drain them and put them back into the pot with a splash of olive oil.
2. Add the sausage once the pan is hot, breaking it apart to avoid big clumps of sausage. After two minutes of browning, add in the garlic, onions, and peppers. Cook until the sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally (roughly 8-10 minutes).
3. Add the desired spices (dried oregano, basil, pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, etc.) and stir to mix in. Add the tomatoes, cook until heated through.
4. Pour the meat sauce over the noodles and serve immediately. 

Enjoy! This pasta dish goes great with a mixed green salad or a plateful of asparagus! 

Ways to tweak it: add more or less garlic, ditch the onions for picky eaters, add a teaspoon (or more!) of cayenne to give it extra kick, use regular sausage instead of spicy, add in other veggies like zucchini or corn... anything you like!