i’ve gotten into the habit of making our pasta dishes with hot sausage instead of ground beef, and it’s such a great substitution that now when i attempt sauces with only ground beef they taste a bit bland.

the spice in the sausage and sauce adds flavor, and is tempered every so slightly by the cheese.

| ingredients |

hot sausage

crushed tomatoes

red pepper flakes

salt

oregano

garlic powder

ziti

mozzarella

| method |

brown the sausage in a large saucepan, and add the salt, oregano, garlic powder. add the crushed tomatoes and simmer.

meanwhile, cook the ziti according to package directions. strain and add to the sauce. stir together to coat the pasta in the sauce and top with mozzarella before serving.