Big, Bold Red

I bet you think I am talking about wine, right? NOPE. Not this time. This time, I am talking about the big, bold red sauce I made for my sausage and peppers.

Sausage and peppers are a favorite here at our house. I make it different ways all the time. Sometimes I sauce it up, and sometimes I don’t. This time I sauced it up with a big, bold red sauce made from lots of different tomatoes.

Big, Bold Red Sauce

I love tomatoes of all kinds, and I use tomatoes all the time. I mix and match them all the time too, like I did for this sauce. I used big, colorful heirloom tomatoes, vine ripened tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes for this sauce.

4-5 lbs tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2/3 cup onion, diced

1 TBSP garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried thyme

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/3-1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

6 TBSP olive oil

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, salt & pepper, garlic and dried herbs into a food processor and process until it is all chopped and blended together.

Get a large skillet very hot, add the olive oil and the onions and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the onions soften.

Once the onions are softened, add the tomato mixture and mix in well. Add the balsamic vinegar and the red wine. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 45-60 minutes, stirring frequently. You want the sauce to thicken quite a bit.

While the sauce is cooking, prepare the bell peppers, mushrooms and sausage. I used hot Italian links and cooked them in a separate pan, then sliced them. I used red, orange, yellow peppers and sliced mushrooms.

When the sauce is thick enough, add the sliced sausages and mix together well. Spoon the sausage and sauce over cooked linguini, then added the peppers and mushrooms on top. Larry added Mozzarella cheese to his, and I topped it all with fresh chopped parsley. I served it with garlic and herb cheese bread and, of course a big, bold red sauce needs a big, bold red wine to go with it.

!Mangia! Enjoy! This is a hearty, tasty meal you’re going to love. You can substitute chicken as well.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Life is what you make it, so make it fantastic. May 2026 be filled with happiness, good health and prosperity for all. ‘Til next time.