Pasta w/ Blistered Tomatoes & Sausage

Pasta w/ Blistered Tomatoes & Sausage

Some days I really love an easy and flavorful pasta that can be made in a jiffy. This pasta dish has very few ingredients and comes together in under 30 minutes. It’s super flavorful thanks to the fresh basil and vegan sausage and the tomatoes blister or break apart creating a light and simple sauce. I used a fun shaped pasta called calamarata (shaped like calamari rings) but you can really use any short variety.

Serves 4

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Ingredients

16 oz (454 g) Calamarata Pasta or other short shape

3 (100 g) Vegan Sausage Links chopped

1 1/2 pints of Cherry or Grape Tomatoes

1 small Onion diced

4 cloves Garlic crushed or minced

6-8 Basil leaves chiffonaded or sliced thinly (reserve some for garnish)

pinch Red Chili Flakes

2 tsp (10 ml) Balsamic Vinegar

1 1/2 (22.5 ml) Tbsp Avocado Oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 - 1 cup (118-236ml) Pasta Water reserved

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 -1 cup of the pasta water.

2. While your pasta is cooking, in a large sauté pan, cook the sausage on med-high heat. Cook just until browned then remove from pan and set aside

3. Lower the heat to med , add the oil to the pan and sauté the onion until translucent, about 4 minutes.

4. Add in the tomatoes and cook until they begin to blister or break open, about 6-8 minutes. You can gently help them along by pressing down with a wooden spoon/spatula. It’s also ok to leave some intact.

5. Add in the garlic and chili flakes and continue cooking until fragrant about 2 minutes.

6. Return the cooked Sausage to the pan along with the chopped basil and balsamic vinegar. Lower the heat to med-low and continue cooking for another 2 minutes.

7. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and mix well. Add the pasta water 1/2 cup at a time to loosen up the sauce. Heat through and serve with vegan parmesan