Pasta Diavolo

Once upon a time I ate a meal at a restaurant named Bravo! in Indianapolis, an Italian establishment. I ordered what was called the Shrimp Diavolo, a slightly spicy pasta dish with shrimp in a creamy tomato sauce. I've had a couple of stabs at reinventing it ever since, and though I haven't succeeded yet, I made an attempt last night (using italian sausage in place of shrimp) that was satisfying nonetheless.

Pasta Diavolo with Italian Sausage

1/2 pound Italian Sausage
Cajun Seasoning
Old Bay Seasoning
Fennel Seed
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 chopped Yellow Onion
1 can diced Tomatoes
8 oz. Rigatoni (any noodle will do)
1/2 jar Alfredo Sauce

1. Place the Italian Sausage in a skillet and season with Cajun Seasoning, Old Bay Seasoning, and Fennel Seed. Cook over medium-high heat until it has crumbled and browned. Set aside on a plate and drain fat from skillet.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add the Olive Oil to the pan. Once hot, add the Onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent.

3. About this time begin boiling water for your pasta. Prepare according to package instructions.

4. Add the Tomatoes to the pan. Cook for 5 minutes.

5. Add the Italian Sausage and Alfredo Sauce to the pan with the Tomatoes and Onions, reducing heat to low. Stir well, let cook an additional 5-8 minutes.

6. Drain pasta and serve sauce over top.

Served with asparagus.

This dish was not as creamy or spicy as the original Shrimp Diavolo I still yearn to recreate, but it was very hearty with plenty of flavor. I can't wait to have the leftovers at lunch today, should kick the tail of my normal turkey sandwiches.

It would be pretty easy to make a shrimp variety of this dish. Simply replace the sausage with shrimp and cut out the fennel seed, and the rest of the recipe should be able to remain intact.