Italian Sausage and Drunken Noodles

Ingredients:

• Olive oil
• 4 sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
• 1 large onion, sliced thinly
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienne, divided use
• 8 ounces egg noodles, uncooked

-place a large, heavy-bottom pan over medium-high heat; add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil

-crumble the Italian sausage into the pan in small chunks, allowing it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side;

-When the crumbled sausage is browned, remove it from the pan/pot with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl;

-Next, add the sliced onion into the pan with the sausage drippings, and allow it to caramelize and become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning;

-Once the onion starts to become golden, add the salt, Italian seasoning and cracked black pepper, and stir to combine, then add in the sliced bell peppers, and allow those to saute with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden;

-Next, add in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to reduce for a few moments, until almost completely reduced;

-Next, add in the diced tomatoes with their juice, and return the browned spicy Italian sausage back into the pan, and gently fold the mixture to combine; allow it to gently simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off;

-To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablespoons of the olive oil to create a silky, rich flavor, and add in the chopped parsley and about half of the julienne basil; stir, and keep warm while you prepare the noodles.

-Prepare the noodles according to instructions on package; then, drain the noodles very well, and add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine the noodles with the sauce and all of the ingredients in it; check the seasoning to see if you need to add any additional salt or pepper.

-To serve, add equal portions of the “Drunken” noodles to bowls, and garnish with a sprinkle of the remaining julienne basil; you can even top with shaved Parmesan, if desired, and an extra drizzle of olive oil