Strabanzer Photography

Modified from a recipe of karendellovo in Allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic very finely chopped

1 pound kielbasa sausage, sliced about ¼” thick

About 3-4 large tomatoes, diced. (Or 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes)

About 4-6 oz mushrooms, sliced. 

1 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

About ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste

1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta or ziti

1 cup frozen peas

3 leaves fresh basil, julienned, or more to taste

1 cup shredded fairly sharp cheese such as sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack.

(I haven't tried it, but a few small mozzarella balls shredded would be good, too.)

METHOD:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a deep skillet.

Add the onion to the hot oil and sauté for about 4 minutes.

Add the garlic to the onion and continue to sauté for about 1 minute more. Be careful to not brown the onion or garlic.

Add the kielbasa slices to the skillet, stirring in with the onion & garlic until browned, 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and their juices, the mushrooms, sugar, balsamic vinegar, salt, and black pepper.

Sprinkle the red pepper over and stir to mix.

Reduce heat and simmer very gently, stirring occasionally to prevent catching.   (You don't want the liquid to evaporate.)

Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet not quite to your desired al dente state.    About 11 minutes.

Add the frozen peas to the still-cooking pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente – about 2 minutes.

Drain pasta and peas (reserving about ¼ cup of the water in a cup).

Add the pasta and peas to the sauce and spoon the sauce over.   If the sauce is way too dry, carefully add the reserved pasta little by little to moisten it.

Add the basil and stir in.

Heat over very gentle heat so pasta can absorb the flavors of the sauce, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the cheeses.

Wipe the edges of the skillet clean of any splash and take to the table to serve.