There is nothing like pasta. It seems to be a go to for most attempts at a quick weeknight meal. We all have those spaghetti noodles and jarred sauce on hand for that night when we just can’t seem to handle much more. And HEY! you still “Made” dinner after all. No judgement here, I’ve done it. My husband does it regularly when I have to work late.

I do however, have a recipe for a quick bolognese that can be just as quick. It may seem like an impossible weeknight task. But 25 minutes and just about 6 ingredients and you’ll be eating in no time.

INGREDIENTS:

4 Cups of your favorite tomato sauce (or get the recipe for mine here)

1lb mild italian sausage

4 Cloves of garlic chopped finely (or use 2 Tbsp of pre-chopped from the fridge)

2 Tbsp Sun Dried Tomatoes in oil

1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning

1 cup red wine- whatever you have on hand. If you do not have wine or don’t like to use it in food for the kids, replace this with beef stock.

PASTA! 1lb…whatever you like. We like tiny spoon past for this like Orecchiette or even a bow-tie is fun sometimes.

DIRECTIONS:

Heat a deep skillet on medium heat. Add sausage, garlic and sun dried tomatoes. Cook until sausage is cooked through. Add the wine (or broth) and cook on medium heat until it has evaporated and reduced almost completely. Usually about 5-8 minutes.

While the wine is reducing, start your pasta. Use suggested cooking method provided on the box. And don’t forget to salt! SALT SALT SALT that water!

After the wine is reduced and it almost looks like there was no wine to begin with…add the Italian seasoning to pan and stir for about a minute. This blooms the seasoning and wakes up all the oils so they can party with the tomato sauce.

Add the tomato sauce to the pan. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Sauce should be on the thinker side side of the “stick to your ribs” scale.

Drain your pasta while it is still aldente’ (there is a bite to it) and reserve about a cup of the (Hopefully salty) pasta water.

Add all of the pasta to the pan with the sauce. Combine. As you’re stirring be gentle to no break the pasta. Slowly add in the reserved pasta water until you have a consistency that is liquid enough to finish cooking the pasta. But not watery. This should be a thick sauce.

Let the pasta and the sauce simmer together in the pan for about 5 minutes or until pasta is tender. Remove from heat. As it sits it will thicken even more and coat all those nook’s and cranny’s on the pasta.

Set the table, gather forks, yell for the 47th time upstairs to your teenagers that dinner is ready. But most of all unplug, sit down and enjoy each other.