Recently I was watching an episode of the Rachael Ray show and she was making this pasta dish that sounded wonderful and of course, easy to prepare. I am a huge fan of the Food Network and Rachael’s shows on there too. I have been craving spaghetti but am bored with the “traditional” type. This recipe was a twist on it and when she said it was a hearty meal, she was not kidding! With a couple of changes, this recipe is a favorite of mine now. Leftovers are even better.
I didn’t have the time to roast the red peppers as Rachael did in the recipe so I used jarred roasted red peppers and the flavors were wonderful. The only other change I made was to use 3 tablespoons of tomato paste instead of the two. I wanted the sauce just a tad thicker.

Ingredients
- 1/2 jar of red roasted peppers sliced into strips
- 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO
- 3/4 lb. bulk hot Italian sausage
- 1/2 lb. ground beef lean
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 fresno chile pepper thinly sliced (can substitute a jalapeno pepper)
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1/2 cup red wine or beef stock
- 2 cans 15 oz. each diced fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 12 oz box Ronzoni Smart Taste penne pasta
- grated Parmesan-Romano cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and beef and brown, crumbling the meat and cook for 7 to 8 minutes (until meat is cooked through).
- Stir in the onion, garlic and hot pepper until softened; season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute, then add the wine and reduce for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, beef red stock and bell peppers; simmer to thicken for about 15 - 20 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente.
- When pasta is done, measure out 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Drain the pasta and add to sauce along with the reserved cooking water. Toss for 1 - 2 minutes to coat the pasta with the sauce.
- Serve with grated Parmesan-Romano cheese.
- Adapted from Rachael Ray Magazine
Enjoy!
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