Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Peppers, and Chicken Sausage

I need a weekend to recover from the weekend.  With four days of the school year left, I am already running on empty, despite all of the "summer" is here BBQs.  (It was a whopping 42 degrees out on Saturday.)  At this time next Monday, I guarantee I will be sleeping.  And no, I will not feel guilty about it one bit. 

All of these BBQs lead to a lot of food that I don't normally eat--namely potato chips.  And the potato chips destroy my intestines.  In a big way.  I will spare you the details of my testy intestines (that was an attempt at a joke).  Because of my intestinal distress, I wanted a bland and easily digestible dinner.  The tomato, peppers, and chicken sausage pasta that resulted certainly was delicious, but it was far from bland.  The perfect amount of spice, a hint of sage, nearly caramelized onions and peppers, and topped with delicious chicken sausage made for quite a Sunday treat. 

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Peppers, and Chicken Sausage:

• 1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti 
• 1/2 of a large sweet onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper (not green), diced
• 2 cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 small can of tomato sauce (not tomato paste)
• 1 package of chicken sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces (we used the kind in the picture above, which was delicious...and purchased at Costco)
• 1 tablespoon ground sage (adjust to taste)
• 2ish-3ish tablespoons of Italian seasoning (adjust for your preference)
• 1 tablespoon of red pepper flakes (adjust for spice preferences)
• freshly grated paremsan cheese to sprinkle on top.

1. In a large non-stick skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high.
2. Add the onions and stir with a rubber spatula to coat.  Cook the onions on their own for a minute or two before adding the peppers.  
3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the peppers and onions until soft.
4. Add the two cans of diced tomatoes and the tomato sauce.
5. Add the seasonings and adjust to taste.  
6. Simmer on medium to let the liquid reduce while the pasta is cooking.  Be careful not to burn the sauce.
7. In the meantime, cook the pasta according to the package directions.  When the pasta has about 5 minutes left, add the sliced chicken sausage to the sauce. 
8. Strain the pasta, serve in large bowls, and cover with sauce.  Top with cheese and enjoy!