My favourite food in the world is pasta, yet ironically I’m allergic to wheat. There’s just something so comforting but at the same time romantic about a ol’ big bowl of pasta, that despite my allergy I’m unable to give it up. Thankfully there’s tons of great gluten free pasta alternatives out there now compared to 7 years ago when I was first diagnosed with the allergy. Back then I didn’t really cook and used to buy jarred pasta sauce, but after making pasta sauce from scratch there really is no going back!
My dad taught me how to make this staple tomato sauce years ago when I first really started cooking. The beauty of this sauce is that it can be altered to your own unique taste to create so many different dishes of pasta with the switch of a few simple ingredients. My all time favourite variation to make with it is our Spicy Sausage Linguine. This dish is hearty and filling! You can control the level of heat by what type/brand of spicy sausage you use, as well as how much cayenne pepper you add. Which means it can be mild, or extra spicy for all you heat lovers out there like myself! This dish is best served with a warm loaf of baguette smothered in butter for your non gluten-intolerant family members. Be sure they use the bread to sop up any left over sauce in their bowl afterwards, it’s that good!
We use canned whole San Marzona tomatoes by Uncio for this recipe as they’re readily available all year round and a meaty variety, but you could just as easily use tomatoes straight from your own garden to make this sauce extra fresh! If you do be sure to use a meaty variety of tomato for a thick sauce, and to take the skin off. Now here’s what you’ll need to make our Spicy Sausage Linguine..
A spicy take on a traditional red sauce! Pasta that's sure to keep you full and tastes fantastic.
Ingredients
1 can of San Marzano type whole tomatoes
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 heaping tsp minced garlic
Dried herbs: 1 tsp Basil, 1 tsp Oregano, 1 tsp Thyme to taste. 1 Bay leaf (remove at the end, they are not edible and only used for seasoning) 1/8 tsp Cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot) Salt and pepper to taste
1 package of spicy sausages, cooked and sliced into cubes or medallions
1 package of linguine
Fresh grated cheese for topping such as parmesan or asiago
Directions
Get your water boiling to cook pasta in a large pot and season with salt.
Cook sausage following package instructions. Once fully cooked and cooled to a temperature comfortable to handle, slice into medallions or cubes. Set aside.
To make pasta sauce, first chop your garlic cloves. Add your olive oil and garlic to a medium sized pot and simmer until golden brown and fragrant.
If using canned tomatoes, open the can but keep the lid on top (I recommend washing the top of your can before this step) and squeeze to drain all of the liquid/juices from the can into your sauce pot until all that’s left in your can is the whole tomatoes. Set those aside.
Add your seasonings to the pot: basil, thyme, oregano, and bay leaf to taste. Add cayenne pepper either sparingly or generously for desired heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Optional: add a pinch of sugar to balance.
Let sauce simmer down on medium-low until it has emulsified and reached a silky consistency. Stir occasionally.
As the sauce is emulsifying, in the cans you’ve set aside blend whole tomatoes into a purée. Optional: leave a little chunky if that’s your style.
Once sauce has emulsified add puréed tomatoes to the pot and stir. Let simmer on a low heat for about 10 minutes.
Cook linguine following package instructions, and add sausage to pasta sauce at this time. Let sauce simmer for as long as pasta cooks.
Once pasta is done, drain off reserving a small amount of starchy water for your sauce - this helps bind sauce to the pasta.
Remove bay leaf from sauce. Toss pasta in sauce.
Garnish with parmesan or cheese of choice and serve hot! Bon Appétit!
Recipe Note
I recommend making this pasta sauce in a double batch so you can freeze some to make a quick meal later on! Simply double up ingredients. Keeps well in the freezer for 2 months.
