Olive Garden Neapolitan Ziti

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

Ziti

• 1 1/2 pounds sweet/hot Italian link sausage
• 1 1/3 cups green bell pepper in 1 x 1/4 inch strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 pound ziti pasta, cooked
• Grated Parmesan cheese
• Parsley bouquets

Marinara Sauce

• 1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style or plum tomatoes with juice
• 10 3/4 ounces tomato puree
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (packed)
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Bake or pan-fry the sausages until fully cooked, drain, cool.
2. Halve the sausages and cut the split sausages into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Sauté the bell peppers in olive oil over moderate heat only until their crispness is lost, but peppers are not soft.
4. In a heavy saucepan add the tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil and bring to a light simmer on moderate heat.
5. Add the sautéed pepper strips and cooked sausage and heat for 3 to 5 minutes.
6. Serve the pasta, topped with the sausage, peppers and salsa marinara and garnish each plate with a parsley bouquet.
7. Pass the Parmesan.

Attribution

Posted by dizzybreez at Recipe Goldmine May 4, 2001.

Source: Olive Garden Restaurants - Southern U.S. Cuisine (Copycat/Restaurant Collection) at southernfood.about.com