Spaghetti with Spicy Sausage Tomato Cream Sauce

*Serves six generously*

Cold winter nights are primed for bowls of hot carbohydrates. Few things are more simply satisfying than pasta with a hearty sauce, which is exactly what this dish is. With everything in hand, this meal costs just under $13.00 for everything you need, which means $2.17 per person if five of your pals come by.
Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes

Tools:
4 quart pot
2 quart pot
Wooden spoon/rubber spatula

Ingredients:
I box spaghetti (can substitute GF brown rice spaghetti ,which works great with this recipe)
1 package spicy Italian Sausages (6 each), removed from their casings
1 28oz can of peeled and crushed tomatoes
1 onion, diced
1 medium clove garlic, minced
½ cup heavy cream
1 small handful of basic
salt and pepper to taste

Optional: Freshly grated Parmesan

For the pasta: fill the 4 quart pot with water, cover, and set to high heat.
Begin by heating the 2 qt pan/pot dry on high heat. Once the pot is hot enough (if you flick water on the bottom it will sizzle and pop) add the sausage. Let the sausage sit in the dry pan until it browns on its side. Use a wooden spoon to break it up and even out the cooking surface. The sausage contains enough fat that extra oil isn’t necessary.
Once the sausage is almost cooked through, add the diced onion and stir. Bring the heat down to medium and add the garlic stirring frequently to avoid scorching. Add the whole can of tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot and let sit over low heat until the pasta is ready.
By the time the sausage sauce is ready, the pasta water should be at a boil. At this point, add a good handful of salt to the pasta water (“as salty as the sea” is the old adage), bring back up to the boil, and add the pasta, stirring often to prevent sticking. Cooking time depends on the pasta, but a safe window is usually between 12 and 14 minutes, longer for gluten free. I usually check it after ten minutes of boiling while covered. The pasta is done when it has the tiniest bit of bite left to it. Drain the pasta and drizzle with a little oil to prevent sticking.
At the last minute, add the cream and fresh basil to the sauce. The sauce can be ladled over the pasta, or mixed in and cooked for an additional couple of minutes on medium heat. The latter method allows the pasta to absorb a small amount of liquid and really gives it an immense flavor all throughout.
Optional, but encouraged: Once plated, heap finely grated Parmesan over the finished pasta.