Taste Of The Week: Sausage & Veggie Pasta Bake

On this week’s episode of Taste Of The Week, Alan Morrissey welcomed TV Chef Jack O’Keeffe to the show.

This week, Jack prepared sausage and veggie pasta bake.

Recipe:

Serves 4

Ingredients:

8 Great Quality Sausages
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Clery Sticks, Diced
1 Onion Diced
1 Large Carrot Diced
4 Garlic Cloves, Chopped
1 tbsp Fennel Seeds
1 Pinch of Chilli Flakes
1 Courgette, Diced
1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
100ml Red Wine
1 Can Of Good Quality Tomatoes
1 Small Bunch Of Basil, rustically chopped
320g of Good Quality Rigatoni Pasta
2 Mozzarella Balls, Diced
Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350"E).

2. To start, we need to cook the sausages. For this recipe. T like to use the best quality jumbo sausages I can find. It's even better if they have some extra flavor-like chili and fennel or fresh raw chorizo

3. Grab a decent-sized frying pan with metal handles. I do this because I want to cook everything except the pasta in the pan, then toss it all togethen and bake it in the same pan. Not because it makes everything taste better, but because I'm lazy and will do anything to reduce the washing up. If you don't have a pan with metal handles, don't fret. You can use a casserole dish or deep oven dish instead.

4. Place the pan on medium heat. When it's warm add some oil and the sausages. Cook until they're nice and brown all over, then set them aside on a plate.

5. Reduce the heat and add the celery and onions to the pan. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes untithe veggies are soft and translucent. Add the carrot, garlic, fennel, and chill. Stir and saute for another 3 to 4 minutes. Add the brown sugar. When it starts to
caramelize, splash in the vinegar and reduce uncil it has almost
disappeared. Pour in the wine, simmer, and reduce until it has nearly evaporated.

6. Add the chopped tomatoes. Fill the empty can with cold warer and pour it into the pan as well. Place on medium heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Chop the sausages into pieces and return them to the pan. Bring the mixture back to a simmer for another § minures, de until the sauce is nice and thick.

7. In a separate saucepan, bring salted water to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes or until al dente. Of the heat, coss che pasta wich the sauce, basil, and halt the mozzarella.

8. Top the mixture with the remaining mozzarella. Place the pan in the oven for 1o minutes or until the top is golden and crisp.

9. Allow the dish to cool slightly before serving.

10. Enjoy your flavorful, veggie-packed pasta and sausage bake!