Rigatoni Bolognese

Mondays are tough enough, so why not add the excitement of pasta for dinner? This was actually a very quick weeknight meal since the pasta was fresh and I used Marinara sauce to stir in, which already had some great flavors. This dish is delicious and even better as leftovers - I know because I made this two weeks ago and we almost had to fight over them (but we learned to share). Once again, a big shoutout to my favorite grocer down here in St. Pete - Mazzaro's! In this recipe, I used their homemade sausage and fresh pasta. Enjoy!

NOTE: You could easily make this with dried pasta; just allow the additional time to cook the pasta.

Ingredients:

3/4 lb fresh pasta (I used large rigatoni for my version)

~ 1 cup Marinara sauce (Rao's is always my go-to)

1/2 lb Italian sausage, removed from casing (I used parmesan-parsley sausage)

1/3 cup celery, diced

1/3 cup carrots, diced

1 tb olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

dash of red pepper flakes (optional)

grated parmesan, for topping (optional)

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the celery and carrots. Saute for approximately 2 minutes and then add in the sausage, crumbling it to cook evenly. Cook over medium-high heat for approximately 5-7 minutes, until it's browned. Add in the marinara sauce, salt and pepper. Stir together and simmer on low for another 10 minutes or so. While that's simmering, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta per the package instructions. Fresh pasta should only take 2-3 minutes. Drain the pasta and reserve a little pasta water. Stir in the bolognese sauce and serve, topped with grated parmesan.