Pasta is the ultimate comfort food. A little oil and fresh vegetables in the summer time or a hearty rich sauce in the winter, and pretty much anything in between. It’s an easy dinner that can be ready quickly with just a few simple ingredients. In true comfort food style, though, you can also take your time and build a sauce that is complex, rich and deep.

In our house, one of our easy go-to meals is this Italian Sausage Rotini. The recipe that follows is the basic version—it’s a delicious and hearty dinner that can be ready in 30 minutes, give or take a few, which makes it perfect for busy week nights. Adjust the spices and change the flavour. Change the wine and change the flavour. Use sauteed vegetables instead of the meat and it’s a whole different experience. What we love about this dish is the flexibility in the ingredients (and the option for less than exact measuring). It’s not a meal we are going to get tired of anytime soon.

Make not mistake though. It’s always comfort food, regardless of how we make it.

Ingredients

• 20 oz (3+ large links) mild Italian sausage, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (essentially little meatballs)
• 1 red onion, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 tbs butter
• 2/3 cup white wine
• 14 oz tomato sauce
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 375 g rotini pasta (or similar)
• 1/2 tbs dried basil
• 1 tbs dried oregano
• salt and pepper, olive oil
• grated parmesan

Directions

• Get pot of water boiling and ready for pasta.
• Heat pan to med-high, add 1/2 tbs of butter and dash of oil, saute Italian sausage chunks until brown on all sides and cooked through. Dust with basil. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Deglaze pan with white wine and let simmer until reduced by half. Red wine or cooking sherry work, too. Use your favourite. Start the pasta cooking now and it all should be ready at the same time.
• Add 1/2 tbs butter and dash of oil to the pan. Saute red onion for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute more.
• Reduce heat to med-low. Add tomato sauce and whipping cream. Add oregano, salt and pepper.
• Let sauce simmer for 4 -5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Add cooked sausage, and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until pasta is ready, about 5 – 7 minutes.
• Drain pasta, return to pot and add sauce/sausage mixture. Stir until coated.
• Serve with grated parmesan.

This will make enough for 4 hungry people, plus leftovers. Because leftovers are awesome.

It’s a pretty easy recipe, and anyone with moderate kitchen skills can pull this off easily. That means kids can do it, as long as you help them drain the boiling water and remove the sausage from the pan.

Photo: This is the basic recipe as I dished up dinner for the family.