This is on the fancier side of cooking for me. I don’t cook much with wine, but a friend left some at my house and since I am not a fan of drinking wine, I decided to cook with it! This dish has a rich flavor and with a buttery, red wine sauce, what’s not to love!

I used ground sausage in this dish because I think it adds a wonderful, savory flavor. It’s salty and I didn’t have to add any salt or pepper. The rosemary gives it a woodsy flavor and when reduced with the red wine, it’s perfect.

Tip: I add fresh oregano to the dish at the very end. I tear it with my hands and drop it directly into the skillet and stir. I don’t cut it on a board because it rubs out of the flavors and you don’t get all of the aroma and taste that fresh oregano can bring.

Sausage and Red Wine Pasta

Prep time: 5 minutes | Cook time: 25 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 6oz – 8oz penne pasta, cooked (reserve 1 cup pasta water)
• 1 lb ground sausage
• 2 tbs minced garlic
• 3 tbs tomato paste
• 1/2 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 cup pasta water
• 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan cheese
• 1 cup freshly shredded parmesan reggiano
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 tbs dried rosemary
• 3 tbs fresh oregano

Recipe

• In a large skillet, cook the ground sausage until it’s nice a browned.
• Add in the minced garlic and tomato paste. Stir until it begins to blend together.
• Add in the cabernet sauvignon and stir until everything is completely combined.
• Add in the pasta water and stir.
• Add in 1/2 cup of the parm and 1/2 of the parm reggiano.
• Stir that all together until the cheese is melted and then add in the butter and rosemary. Stir until the butter is melted.
• Add in the cooked pasta.
• Add in the last 1/2 cups of parm and parm reggiano.
• With your hands, tear the oregano and drop it into the skillet and stir.
• Serve immediately!

XO, Rachel