Cheese Tortellini with Sausage and a Chunky Tomato Sauce

Has anyone ever bought anything from Madewell? I’m looking at some shoes, but have no idea as to their quality since they’re a baby J. Crew. Gone are the days where I buy poorly made, shoddy quality shoes. I’d rather walk barefoot.

I haven’t been cooking much lately. Between having people in town and general social responsibilities [it’s rough being me, truly], it just hasn’t been in the cards. One minute we’re rushing off to happy hour. The next it’s catching up with a friend or watching the Timbers lose. I’m missing it something fierce even though I generally like eating out most of the times. First world problems, right?

I knocked out a quick curry the other night for the first time in ages, before August probably. I bought two huge containers of curry paste from Fubonn because it’s way more economical than the small tubs at the regular grocery store, and they’ve sat untouched and unopened every since. Poor containers. They only wanted to be loved. I tried out a new technique, instead of the usual ‘let it all stew together’ plan. I sauteed my vegetables in a healthy amount of oil, added the chicken, and then poured in my curry that I whisked together with the coconut milk in another pot. It came together much more takeout-like. I’ve been cheating and using half-gallons of So Delicious Coconut Milk instead of cans of the stuff and adding a cornstarch slurry. It’s still not as thick, but it’s definitely cheaper; one half-gallon instead of two cans of milk? Yes please.

This pasta dish came about from the jalapeno beer sausage from Gartners. I don’t really know what my thought process was that somehow connected jalapeno beer sausage to pasta, but it worked out. The flavors were subtle, otherwise, it probably would have been…odd. Any other sausage would do, too. Don’t discriminate. I made the sauce with fire roasted tomatoes and a bunch of vegetables. Okay, zucchini and carrots. It’s not exactly a bunch. I exaggerate. A lot. Sometimes. It’s more chunky than saucy, which is really what I was going for. Saucy sauce reminds me of gravy. Which reminds me of biscuits. Which reminds me of Pine State. And now I’ve digressed.

Ingredients

• 1 package cheese tortellini, 10 ounces
• 2 sausage links, sliced
• 14.5oz can of fire roasted tomatoes
• 2 small zucchini, small dice
• 2 small carrots, sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• chopped parsley
• salt and fresh cracked pepper

Preparation

Bring a salted pot of water to a boil and cook your tortellini according to package instructions. Pull it a minute early so it can hang out in the sauce for a bit when the time comes. Retain 1/4 cup of the pasta water before you drain it.

Heat the olive oil in a large pan on medium heat. Add the garlic and shallow, stirring frequently so it doesn’t stick or burn. After a couple minutes, add the zucchini and carrots. Coat them in the oil mixture, stirring occasionally while they saute. When they start to soften after approximately five minutes, pour in the tomatoes including the juice. Add the balsamic vinegar, stirring to incorporate.

Bring to a simmer, and allow to cook for another five minutes. Taste it often. You’ll see if it needs more salt. I always wait since sometimes the tomatoes and can be salty depending on the can/brand. When it’s where you want it, add the pasta to the sauce. It’ll finish cooking in here for the last minute or two. Add the pasta water if you think it needs it to get the consistency you’d like.

Top with chopped parsley! Serve! Eat! Drink! Be merry!