One-Pan Roasted Red Pepper and Kale Ziti with Hot Sausage in a Creamy Parmesan Cabernet Sauce!

(Wow- That's a mouthful!)

Ok- I made this recipe up completely on my own literally while I was doing my weekly Sunday grocery shopping last week.  My dad was in town and I always feel bad because I make these amazing meals when he is not here, but when he is here I rarely cook (because we are always going out).  

So this time, while he was here, I whipped up two gourmet meals, this pasta dish and stuffed poblano peppers, both of which I created myself.  I was particularly impressed with how this pasta dish turned out and since I was going without a recipe, I hope that I can recreate it close enough to what I did so that it turns out like I made it!  

Don't forget the red wine!!

You will need:

Olive oil

Half an onion, chopped

2 tbsp garlic, minced (fresh or jarred, I used jarred)

Freshly crushed black pepper

1 pack hot Italian sausage 

1 jar Roasted red peppers

2 handfuls kale (fresh or frozen, I used frozen)

1 can beef broth (14.5 oz)

1 box of ziti (will use 3/4 of the box)

1/2 cup of Cabernet Sauvignon

1/2 cup of water

1 pint heavy whipping cream

Small can tomato sauce

Grated Parmesan cheese

Red pepper flakes 

Parsley

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Heat pan over medium heat and add chopped onion and minced garlic.  Top with crushed black pepper.

Mix continuously and start cooking sausage in another pan while onion/garlic cooks.  Fill the pan with water so that the sausages are halfway covered by water and bring to a boil.  Turn the sausages to the other side every once in a while so both sides are exposed to the boiling water.

While onion/garlic and sausage cooks, slice the red peppers in long strips and then cut long strips in half to make shorter strips.

Cook onion and garlic until they both start to brown.  Add the red pepper strips to the pan stirring constantly until mixture is heated through.

I like to slice the sausages length wise and cook them inside down so that I make sure they are cooked well.  I take the sausage halves out of the pan and slice them into smaller pieces, cooking them even more.

After onion, garlic, and red peppers are heated through and soft, add the two handfuls of kale and mix in.  Continue mixing for about 2 minutes, until heated through.

Add the whole can of beef broth to the mixture, stir, and bring to a boil

Add 3/4 of the box of ziti to the pan when the broth starts to boil and cover, simmering.  Stir occasionally and when the beef broth has been reduced to about half of the amount that it was before, add the 1/2 cup of wine.

           

Again, bring the mixture to a boil, cover and simmer, but keep stirring every once in a while.

My noodles became infused with the beef broth and Cabernet!  This adds so much flavor to the dish.  

Your noodles will still be a bit hard, so when the liquid has been reduced this time, add 1/2 cup of water and cover, stirring once in a while.  

**Try your noodles to see if they are done to your liking.  You may need to add more or less water and/or simmer for a shorter/longer period of time, depending on how you like your noodles cooked.  

I only added the 1/2 cup water and simmered, covered, until mine were al dente, because they will simmer and cook a bit more with the heavy cream.

When pasta is cooked to your liking, add the pint of heavy cream and stir.

Add the can of tomato sauce and stir.

Sprinkle the grated Parmesan over the entire mixture in the pan and stir.

Add hot sausage and fold into the pasta mixture.  Top one more time with Parmesan and stir the mixture one final time, making sure that it is hot throughout.

Serve hot and top with red pepper flakes and parsley!

PLEASE leave comments if you try a recipe!  I never know if I write them well enough for other people to reproduce!  Thanks!

~RastaPasta~ <3LML