Penne with Spicy Sausage & Peppers

This is a simple and basic pasta dish that is just plain good. I love making this sauce and freezing it; it works so well when you need a quick, home-made meal. It is a delicous, fast, sauce that will satisfy just about everyone. I often buy spicy bratwurst to use in this when I cannot find Italian link sausage, it works great. To dress up this dish, serve up a plate of Penne with Spicy Sausage & Peppers and add a thin topping of mozzarella evenly over the entire portion and pop it into the oven for a few minutes until it melts.

1 pound link sausage: Italian, or even spicy bratwurst work well here.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced into thin ribbons
1 large, sweet, bell pepper sliced into thin ribbons
1 cup boiling water
1 14 oz. can stewed tomatoes with liquid or 1 3/4 cup sliced fresh tomatoes
3/4 cup dry red wine
3 tablespoons tomato paste
6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
1 pound dry pasta cooked according to package directions

Slice the sausage on the diagonal and sauté on medium heat until crispy in olive oil. Remove sausage and set aside. Place sliced peppers and onion in a bowl and cover with boiling water. After 3 minutes remove peppers and onions and add to the pan with sausage drippings. Stir to coat. Add the red wine and tomato paste and stir until tomato paste is incorporated evenly. Add stewed tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir and cook 4 minutes. Add cooked sausage. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook 10 minutes. Stir in cooked and drained pasta. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. This makes four generous portions.