Dinner Time - Spicy Ragout

This ragout is very simple, yet so tasty! A great thing about this recipe is that you have so many options, I made it up as I went along one night and I've made it with different elements each time. It's great for the times you want pasta, but not a lot of sauce.

Spicy Ragout

1 lb meat of your choice (I used sausage this time, but ground pork, beef, or chicken is good too.)

1/2 lb pasta (I used penne)

1/2 tsp basil

1/2 tsp savory

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp kosher salt 

1 tsp fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you like a lot of heat)

1 tbsp heavy cream

1/2 c red onion, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 roma tomatoes, diced

2 tbsp tomato paste

15-20 pepperoni slices

                   First brown the meat, in this case sausage, in a skillet over medium high heat. Season with salt, pepper, thyme, basil, savory, and cayenne.

I drained the grease off. Then add the onion, I roughly chopped it because I wanted bigger pieces than a dice. It gives it a more rustic feel. I added some olive oil, salt, and pepper to the onion.

Add the tomato paste and stir it in to coat the meat and onions.

Next, add the tomatoes and garlic.

Stir in the heavy cream.

Chop up the pepperonis and add them.

Let it cook over low heat for about 10 minutes before adding 1/2 lb al dente or just before al dente pasta (it'll cook more once in the mix.) 

Let the flavors get to know each other another 5 minutes and serve! You can add other vegetables or mushrooms, anything that sounds good with the current mix. :)