It’s the weekend. I like taking it easy — sleep in, eat good, exert as little effort. That’s what I call a good weekend. I know a lot of you are busy preparing for your Super Bowl parties tomorrow [especially here in Arizona, there's that general buzz in the air], so let’s keep it simple and still yummy and enjoyable. More time for all of us to relax.

There’s nothing extraordinary about spaghetti with a tomato-based sauce, but when I cook it at home I like to put a little something here and there even if it’s already ‘flavored’. We almost never eat it out of the bottle, it’s always added with something.

For this dish, I used store-bought meat flavored sauce, then added sweet Italian sausage cooked with onions, anise, and dried rosemary, and a teensy bit of sugar. Topped with grated parmigiano reggiano, of course.

Here’s the recipe for you to try. And remember, you can always substitute. Make up your own version…put the fun and adventure in cooking. :-)

Spaghetti with Sausage in Meat Flavored Sauce

Ingredients: [makes 2 - 3 servings]

• 1/4 cup white onion, chopped
• 1/8 tsp fennel seeds
• 1/8 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 c meat flavored pasta sauce [you can use whatever tomato-based sauce you have in your pantry]
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 sweet Italian sausage links [we used Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage]
• 6 oz spaghetti
• grated parmigiano reggiano [or just regular parmesan]
• olive oil
• fresh ground pepper
• kosher salt

Procedure:

1. Cook the sausages in a pan with water, according to instructions. Boil water for you pasta. [Note: Leave 1/4 cup of pasta water before you drain them.]

2. Take the cooked sausages out of the pan. Slice 1/8″ thick, diagonally.

3. Heat a large pan with olive oil in medium heat. Add onion and saute for a few minutes until onion turns yellow. About 3 minutes.

4. Add the sausages, fennel seeds, rosemary, and pepper. Cook until sausages begin to curl. Stir occasionally, don’t let the sausages burn.

5. Mix in the pasta sauce and allow to simmer. Add sugar and salt and stir. Once it starts to boil, turn off the heat.

6. Pour your pasta into the pan with the pasta water and mix with the sauce. Add pepper and toss one last time.

7. Smile. Your meal is ready. Top it with grated parmigiano reggiano. Enjoy