pot of pasta

While Chris was away this week for a March Madness Man-cation (cue wife points!), I was dealing with my own version of 'march madness' disguised as spring break over here. We kept ourselves busy going to the library, gym, costco (sad that that's an outing, but it is.), swimming, mesa arts center, etc. I made a strike against making meals and since we can only do Chick fil A [x] number of times, I ended up making this pot of pasta that we nibbled on for a few nights. It was so good (thanks, Rachael Ray!) and I even substituted chicken sausage from sprouts.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon (1 turn around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 /2 to 2 /3 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
• 1 /2 to 2 /3 pound bulk hot Italian sausage
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 can (28 to 32 ounces) chunky style crushed tomatoes
• 1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
• 20 leaves fresh basil, torn
• 1 pound ziti rigate (with lines), cooked to al dente
• Crusty bread and grated Parmigiano or Romano, for passing at table

Directions

Heat a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Drizzlein extra-virgin olive oil and add sausage. Break up meat as it browns. Add garlic and onion and cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium low. Add tomatoes and beans and simmer 2 or 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and fold in basil to wilt. Combine sausage mixture with cooked ziti and serve immediately with grated Parmesan or Romano and crusty bread.