Sweet Italian Sausage With Red Gravy And Pasta - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 (19 1/2 ounce) packages sweet Italian turkey sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onion
1 (46 ounce) can tomato juice
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
2 (6 ounce) cans water
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes with onion garlic and basil
1/2 cup sugar (may need as much as 1 cup to sweeten the gravy appropriately)
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1 1/2 teaspoons italian seasoning
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1 dash pepper
1 (14 1/2 ounce) box thin whole wheat spaghetti

Preparation

Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat while dicing onion and celery. Saute vegetables until onions turn clear. Remove from heat.
In a large pot (6 qt or larger, I use an 8 qt stock pot) over medium-low heat, combine tomato juice, tomato paste, water, diced tomatoes, onion, celery, sugar, and seasonings.
Heat gravy to a boil (shouldn't need to raise heat above medium) and add sausages; boil for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Prepare pasta according to package directions and drain. Spoon a small amount of gravy over pasta (in its own pot) and stir gently to help prevent sticking.
Serving size is roughly a cup of pasta, one sausage, and about 3/4 cup gravy.