Quorn Cacciatore with Acini di Pepe

I improvised this last night using Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets.
I know it isnt a true Cacciatore, but its the closest dish to
what I made for the sake of naming it.

click here to learn about Quorn

Serves 4-6

28oz can Crushed Tomatoes (Imported Italian)*
15oz can Diced Tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, chopped
8oz yellow onion, chopped
1 box Quorn Naked Chik'n Cutlets
4oz sliced mushrooms (about 1/4in thick, and no wider than 1 inch across)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 TBSP basil (dried)
2 TBSP oregano (dried)
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
8oz Acini di Pepe pasta**
24oz water
1 TBSP butter (unsalted)
Olive Oil

You'll need a medium sized pot with lid for the pasta, large pot with lid for the sacue, and 10 or 12 inch skillet for sauteing.

Bring the water to a boil in the medium pot. Pour in the pasta. Stir and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low (3 on my electric stove) and cook for 15 minutes. Stir a couple of times during cooking so the pasta doesn't stick to itself. After removing from heat, drain any remaining water and stir butter into the pasta. Cover and hold for service.

Pour both cans of tomatoes, and all dry seasonings into the large pot. Stir, cover, and set the heat on medium.

Heat 1 TBSP oil in skillet between medium and medium-hi. (7 on my stove)

The following procedure gives the veggies a nice tasty browning which wont happen
if they only simmer in the sauce. They are sauteed separately to help promote the browning, which doesn't work well if the skillet is crowded.

Saute Onions and garlic until the onions start to brown. (about 5 min)
Stir onions and garlic into the sauce. Remember to keep the sauce covered so it wont splatter.
Saute bell peppers until starting to brown. Add to sauce.
Saute mushrooms until starting to brown. Add to sauce.
Add 1 tsp of oil to skillet.
Saute Quorn until golden brown on all sides. Add to sauce.

Remove sauce from heat and serve over the pasta, or stir pasta into the sauce before serving.


*Italian tomatoes are more acidic which gives them a very bright flavor. This is the key ingredient to a delicious sauce that is noticeably better than store bought sauce. I keep a can of this in the pantry at all times. I use Cento brand. Find it in the Italian section of your grocery store.

** Acini de Pepe is one of the tiniest pastas. It's small size gives maximum surface area to release its dusty starch coating into a wonderful texture that is not too different from risotto. Never pre-rinse it. Find it in the Italian section of your grocery store.