Olive Garden Neapolitan Ziti

Posted by dizzybreez at recipegoldmine.com May 4, 2001

Source: Olive Garden Restaurants - Southern U.S. Cuisine (Copycat/Restaurant Collection) at southernfood.about.com

1 1/2 pounds sweet/hot Italian link sausage
1 1/3 cups green bell pepper in 1 x 1/4-inch strips
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 pound ziti pasta, cooked
Grated Parmesan cheese
Parsley bouquets

Marinara Sauce
1 (28 ounce) can Italian-style or plum
    tomatoes with juice
10 3/4 ounces tomato pur?e
1 teaspoon minced garlic
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil (packed)
Salt, to taste
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Bake or pan-fry the sausages until fully cooked, drain, cool. Halve the sausages and cut the split sausages into 1/2-inch slices. Saut? the bell peppers in olive oil over moderate heat only until their crispness is lost, but peppers are not soft.

In a heavy saucepan add the tomatoes, tomato puree, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil and bring to a light simmer on moderate heat. Add the saut?ed pepper strips and cooked sausage and heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Serve the pasta, topped with the sausage, peppers and salsa marinara and garnish each plate with a parsley bouquet. Pass the Parmesan.

Yields 4 servings.