Italian Drunken Noodles

As with most of the recipes I post lately, I found this one on Pinterest

I used to clip recipes out of magazines, now I just go see if it's online

if so, I pin it to my recipe board

Pinterest ROCKS...

This latest recipe originated from the cozy apron blog

What caught my eye on this recipe was the pappardelle pasta

I've been wanting to cook with them for a long time

Just had not really found a recipe

Besides,  I use italian sausage in all my italian dishes that call for meat

Also, I love the brightness of onions, red, orange & yellow bell peppers

Finally, who doesn't love cooking with wine?

Pappardelle Pasta



Drunken Noodles with Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Drunken Noodles
(recipe from the cozy kitchen)

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces Pappardelle noodles, uncooked
• olive oil
• 4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed (I had mild italian sausage that I seasoned with cayenne pepper)
• 1 1/2 teasp salt
• 1 teasp italian seasoning
• 1/2 teasp cracked black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press, or minced
• 1/2 cup white wine (preferably dry, like chardonnay)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 tablesp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use

DIRECTIONS

• Place a large, heavy bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat
• Add 2 tablesp olive oil, once the oil is hot, crumble the italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you want to keep the sausage fairly chunky); allow it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side; once it's browned, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon, place into a small bowl
• Add the sliced onion to the pan with the sausage drippings; allow it to carmelize & become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil if necessary)
• Add the salt, italian seasoning, & cracked black pepper - stir to combine
• Add in the bell peppers & allow those to saute with the onion about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden
• Add the garlic, once its aromatic (just takes less than a minute), add the white wine and allow to reduce for a couple minutes until almost completely reduced
• Add in the diced tomatoes in their juice
• Return the italian sausage to the pan
• Gently fold to combine all ingredients
• Allow to simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off
• To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablesp of olive oil to create a silky reach flavor
• Add in the chopped parsley and half of the basil, stir
• keep warm while preparing the noodles
• Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions (I actually did this step after I browned the sausage)
• Drain the noodles very well, add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine them with the sauce; check seasoning for salt or pepper
• To server, add equal portions of the "drunken" noodles to bowls, garnish with remaining basil.   You can even top off with shaved parmesan, if desired
• Add an extra drizzle of olive oil