Spaghetti with Sausage and Fennel

I have been on a fennel kick lately. I love the flavor of this wonder veggie when it's cooked. The flavor becomes mild and sweet and when mixed with the sausage and tomatoes of this dish, it becomes even greater.  This is a recipe I've had around for awhile and honestly forgot about it. When I was looking for something different one night this immediately came to mind. It's simple to prepare and while it does take a little work to slices the fennel up, the whole dish is ready in no time!

What You Need:

1lb spaghetti (use a thicker one, not angle hair)
2 tbs olive oil
1 lb sweet italian sausage (bulk if you can find, otherwise just remove it from casings)
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 bulb of fennel, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 c white wine
1 (28oz) can crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper

What To Do:

Place a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil for the pasta. Once it boils, salt it well and add the pasta, cooking until done.
In the meantime make the sauce by heating a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the sausage in the olive oil, breaking it up into small pieces while it's cooking. Once it's cooked through remove the sausage to a plate. If you need more oil, add another tablespoon or two to the pan and then add in the thinly sliced fennel and onion. After they start to cook and soften a  bit, add in the minced garlic. Try not to let the fennel and onions brown. If the pan gets to hot, just turn it down a bit. Once the veggies are soft, add in the wine and crushed tomatoes. Stir it together well and season it with lots of salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and let simmer until the pasta is done.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well and add it into the sauce, tossing well to coat.