Recipe time

AMENDED - to include chopping instructions for the veg - thanks ETW!

OK - I concocted a sauce tonight that was a rather big hit at the TH, and it has the bonus of not ONLY making the house smell great while it's cooking but also being stupidly easy to make. I suspect it's likely a ripoff of someone else's awesome sauce, but because I did not consult any cookbooks before making it, I claim it as mine.

Hereforth then, Sausage Sauce!!

You'll need:
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow pepper, diced
1 bunch green onion (I originally typed 'red onion' - does that make me onion-blind?), chopped fine
2 medium regular carrots, minced
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 large can Hunt's sauce (I used garlic and cheese this time)
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 c 4-cheese Italian blend shred cheese (or just use a mix of parmesean and romano)

How to cook:

Heat a wok (yes, a wok) over medium flame, add oil and meat. Cook sausage, turning frequently, until no longer pink. While cooking, chop veg and maybe sip a little cocktail.

When meat seems done, chuck in veg (except tomato-y bits and sauce), cover pot, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to thoroughly mix.

Dump in tomatoes and sauce and vinegar, stir to coat all. Add sugar, herbs, and spices, mix well, then cover and simmer on low for an hour.

When almost ready to serve (say, about 20 minutes ahead of time), uncover and let bubble for 15 minutes to dehydrate a little. Then toss in the cheese, turn heat to low, melt cheese while stirring sauce and watching it magically thicken before your eyes. Then turn off heat and serve over your fave chunky pasta (Farfalle is recommended, though linguini wouldn't suck, nor would anything sturdy and al dente).

A nice hunk of hearty bread couldn't hurt, if you have that lying around to serve with the delish dish.

Enjoy, y'all!!!