Pasta with Rustic Tomato Sauce

We bought this pasta in Rome, December 2010, during our first (& only) trip to Europe.  When we bought it, we said we would make it for some type of special occasion...well, just to name a few: we've bought a house, renovated it, and recently had our first child! Obviously, we have had plenty of celebratory occasions to create a dish with this pasta.  Yet of all days, we choose the day after Valentine's Day 2014.  Random.

Tending to be a pessimist (ehem) I mean realist, maybe I never wanted to cook it because cooking it meant a death to all travels back to Europe.  It was a tangible that would be in my stomach in a matter of minutes.  Anyway, who knows why we decided make it that night but we did. And it was good.

"Ok, let's see what is in my fridge," was the next step from getting out the pasta.  I rummaged through and picked out this and that.  Often times, these kind of meals end up being some of my favorite because it's developed on whim.

The Ingredients:
1 lb Spaghetti or Linguine  [Swap out wheat for rice pasta and this meal is an instantly gluten free!]
1 1/2 Cups Zucchini, quartered and cut crosswise
1 1/2 Cups Yellow Squash, quartered and cut crosswise
1 Large Red Onion
2 1/2 Cups Tomato, diced
1 1/2 Teaspoons Fresh Garlic, minced (2-3 Garlic Cloves)
3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 lb. Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Toppings - optional:
Pecorino Romano Cheese
Basil, chopped

1) Saute the onions in 1 tablespoon of oil for about 5 minutes over medium high heat.  Season lightly with salt and pepper.  Then add the zucchini, squash and continue to saute until veggies are tender, approximately another 10-15 minutes. Remove veggies from saute pan and add to a serving bowl.

2) Begin cooking the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain pasta and add to the serving bowl.  Add 1 tablespoon of oil and toss with the veggies.

3) While the pasta is cooking, cook the chicken sausage according to the directions on the package.  I like to use my toaster oven for cooking small portions like this.  After they are finished cooking, cut the sausages in to angled slices.

4) In the same saute pan, add the last tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the diced tomatoes and cook over medium heat.  After a few minutes, add the minced garlic to the pan.  Continue cooking tomatoes until they have completely broken down, approximately 15 minutes (pictured below).

4) Add the tomato sauce to the pasta.  Toss to combine.

5) Top with some grated Pecorino Romano cheese and chopped basil. Serve with your favorite wine.  I am not one to make food + wine pairings because I just drink what I like!