Penne Pasta With Meatballs

Please note that the pasta used in this is Rigatoni but is best with Penne

This pasta and meatball dish is easy to make and is great if you are feeding a large crowd. The following recipe fed my husband twin sons, all three have big appetites, and my myself. Leftovers can always be easily re-heated for lunch or dinner the following day.

Ingredients

• 1 box or bag of frozen meatballs of your choice. I used a pork and beef kind, or you can always make your own.
• Cooking, Canola, or olive oil
• 2 medium cooking onions peeled and chopped
• 3 ribs of celery chopped
• 2-3 large cloves of garlic minced
• 1 can of diced tomatoes
• 2 yellow, red, orange, or green bell peppers (I used one red and one yellow)
• 1 tsp. of dried thyme
• 1 tsp. of dried oregano
• 1 tsp. of dried basil
• 1 Tbs. of dried hot red peppers
• 5 shakes of Tabasco sauce
• Fresh ground pepper
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 3/4 of a large bag of penne pasta
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese to serve on the side

Notes:
Usually I make my own meatballs but we happened onto a huge sale at Christmastime and I bought a few bags to have on hand. This came in handy and saved me quite a bit of time while preparing dinner. 
Mushrooms can be added to this if you happen to have them on hand.

Instructions

1. Follow the directions on the meatballs and cook while preparing all the ingredients for your pasta meal.
2. Prepare all your veggies.
3. In the bottom of a large pot (I used a 6 quart pot) or a Dutch oven add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pot, and heat on medium.
4. Once meatballs are cooked remove from oven, drain and set aside.
5. Add the onions and celery to the pot on the stove and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and stir.
6. Add and stir in the diced tomatoes, and add the bell peppers.
7. Next add all your spices and Tabasco or hot sauce of your choice. 
8. Stir in the tomato sauce along with the cooked meatballs.
9. Bring everything to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer, cover and let everything mingle for at least 45 minutes.
10. Before you're ready to eat cook your pasta according the package directions.
11. Drain and place the pasta back into the pot. Toss with a bit of olive oil (This keeps the pasta from clumping together)
12. Now you can either mix the sauce with the pasta or serve the meatball sauce over the pasta.
13. Serve and ENJOY!
14. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, or serve the cheese on the side.

Thanks for stopping by today and please say hi to let me know that you were here. Have a great day!