Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Tuttorosso Tomatoes

Tuttorosso is teaming up with Ali Maffucci of Inspiralized to host an "Inspiralize the Spring" Facebook promotion. Running from March 25th (today!) to April 15th, the promotion gives fans a chance to win weekly prizes. You say, "Prizes! We all love prizes! What kind of prizes?" I say spiralizers (spiral cutters), aprons, and the Inspiralized book. There's also a grand prize package that includes all of the above, plus a picnic basket and kitchen gadgets. Just go to https://www.facebook.com/tuttorossotomato to enter.

We customarily buy Tuttorosso or Red Pack tomatoes anyway, so were happy to get the word out about this promotion.

So what does inspiralization mean and what does it have to do with tomatoes? Ever hear of "zoodles?" They're noodles made from spiral-cut zucchini. Lightly cook them or use them raw, zoodles are a healthy and gluten-free pasta substitute. Tuttorosso's web site has four delicious-looking recipes for vegetable noodle dishes, and we're sharing one with you here. We need to get our hands on one of those spiralizers ourselves so we can make this dish (but might just do it and serve it over conventional pasta - shh! don't tell!)

Tuscan Sausage and Kale Ragu with Butternut Squach Fettuccini

3/4 pound Italian sausage, decased and crumbled
1 small sweet onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 (28 ounce) can Tuttorosso® No Salt Added Peeled Plum Italian Style Tomatoes
1 1/2 tablespoons Tuttorosso® Tomato Paste
1/4 cup red wine, or beef broth
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 cups Tuscan kale, chopped
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
2 medium butternut squash
olive oil, to drizzle
fresh basil, to garnish
Parmesan cheese, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place a large pot over medium heat and add in the sausage. Crumble the sausage further with a wooden spoon and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Then, add in the onions, garlic and red pepper flakes and let cook for 2-3 minutes or until onions turn translucent.

Using your hands, crush the tomatoes over the pot. Using a wooden spoon, further crush the tomatoes so that no large chunks remain. Add in the tomato paste, wine (or broth), basil, oregano, bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-low to a simmer. Cook for 30-35 minutes or until reduced by half and then stir in the kale and beans. Cook for another 5 minutes or until kale wilts and sauce is thick like a ragu.

Peel and spiralize the butternut squash, using Blade B. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the butternut squash noodles. Drizzle with olive oil and massage it into the squash with your hands. Once you add the kale to the ragu, season with salt and pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes or until cooked to al dente.

Divide the butternut squash noodles into bowls and top with the ragu, making sure to discard the bay leaf. Garnish with basil and Parmesan cheese.

If you don't have a spiralizer, you can use these tips to hand cut your veggies into pasta.

* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

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Posted on Minxeats.com.