Rigatoni with Field Roast Grain Italian Sausage

Over the years, I'd driven by the Original Field Roast  on S. Jackson here in Seattle at least a hundred times.  What caught my attention was the word 'roast' on their sign.  Ooh, what are they roasting and do they do it in the field?  How do I get in on that?  Little did I know it was an artisan vegan grain meat company.  At the store the other day, their package of sausages caught my eye, recognizing the name and logo from their sign.  Taking a closer look and talking to an employee from the store is what led to the realization my hopes for a big field roast were dashed.  But the employee did highly recommend the sausage, and so I purchased a package for our Monday dinner.  

The Italian Sausage contains eggplant, fennel, fresh garlic and red pepper.  Instructions were to peel casing before cooking and prepare either on the grill or brown in a saute pan with a little oil.  Avoid overcooking.  I decided to try it with my rigatoni and sausage marinara substituting this for the traditional sausage.  The only change I made was the addition of finely minced carrots and celery to the marinara sauce.


Maggie saw the plate of sausage pieces on the counter and asked to try a piece and reported it was quite good.  I did not tell her it was meatless.  I also tasted it in its bare form and have to say, yum.  In the sauce with the pasta, very delicious, but perhaps helped by the marinara and cream.  Either way, it all went down the gullet happily.  Still one of the kids' favorites.