So a forewarning: I RARELY, if ever, cook according to anything one could conceivably call an ordinary recipe with measurements. I do a lot of adding ingredients, tasting, and adjusting accordingly. Thus most of the measurements included with this recipe are rough estimates and depend, of course, on tasting. [From here forward I'll take more note of what actual proportions I use!]
Ingredients:
2 regular cans of diced tomatoes (I recommend the Italian-style kind that have basil and oregano in them, but any kind will work)
2-3 spicy Italian sausages*
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
A small handful of chopped fresh onion
3 tablespoons chopped jar garlic
3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, diced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1-2 tablespoons dried basil
1-2 teaspoons salt
2-3 teaspoons cracked pepper
Optional: 1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar/balsamic vinegar/red wine (doesn't have to be good)
*I've also made this recipe with chorizo & ground beef; for vegetarians/vegans it works very well with fake ground-beef, or is also delicious without (but in that case I recommend another can of tomatoes).
Take a large sauce pan, and cover the bottom with the olive oil. Remove sausages from casings (this is extremely easy to do and essentially involves squeezing the sausage filling from the casings) and break into small chunks - about bite-sized. Sauté sausage pieces with 2 of the heads of garlic and the onions. As the sausage begins to cook, add the tomatoes directly to the pan with the sausage. Cover and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Note: the ground beef and tofu-ground beef take less cooking time; and obviously, skip the meat-prep step entirely if you intend to serve without meat.
Add the jar garlic, salt, and pepper, stir, and let simmer for about a minute. Taste. Add basil and oregano. Taste. Adjust proportions of any spices according to personal preference. Let simmer for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the garlic and onions from burning and the sausage from sticking. Add a splash more olive oil to taste; at this point add vinegar and/or wine (I recommend only adding one, but your personal taste preference can dictate if you'd like to use both). Reduce heat, let simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
Good over pasta, in eggplant parmesan, baked with portabello caps, over veggies, etc! Served over your average-sized serving of pasta this makes about 7-9 servings (proportion based on the eating habits of 4 women in their early 20s, aka my roommates and I - this usually will feed the four of us once, and me alone about 4 times besides).
