Description
This Creamy Sausage Pasta combines savory Italian pork sausages with a luscious, rich cream sauce infused with garlic, tomato paste, white wine, and fragrant Italian herbs. Easy to prepare in just 20 minutes, it features tender pasta tossed in a flavorful, cheesy sauce with a hint of spice, perfect for a comforting weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- Salt, for pasta water
- 250 g (9 oz) fresh lasagne sheets, or pasta of your choice
Sausage Sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 450 g (1 lb) Italian pork sausages (mild or spicy), casings removed
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (concentrated puree)
- ½ cup (125 ml) dry white wine (or more chicken stock)
- 1 cup (250 ml) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp Italian mixed herbs (Italian seasoning)
- ½ tsp crushed chili (red pepper) flakes (optional)
- 1 cup (250 ml) thickened (heavy) cream
- ½ cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to prepare for cooking the pasta.
- Prepare fresh lasagne sheets: If using fresh lasagne sheets, cut or tear them into strips about 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. These will be cooked after preparing the sauce.
- Cook fresh pasta: Fresh lasagne strips only need 30–60 seconds to cook. Drain and add directly to the sauce once ready.
- Cook regular pasta: If using regular pasta, cook according to the package instructions but reduce cooking time by 1 minute. Drain well; it will finish cooking in the sauce.
- Make the sauce – Brown the sausage: Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add sausages, breaking them into small pieces, and cook for about 5 minutes until browned and cooked through.
- Add garlic: Stir in the minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Caramelize tomato paste: Add tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes to caramelize, enhancing its flavor.
- Deglaze with wine or stock: Pour in white wine or chicken stock, simmer for 2–3 minutes while scraping the pan bottom to deglaze and release browned bits.
- Reduce stock: Once most wine has evaporated, add chicken stock and cook for 2–3 minutes until reduced by half for concentrated flavor.
- Add herbs and chili flakes: Stir in Italian mixed herbs and crushed chili flakes if using, to add aromatics and a touch of heat.
- Add cream and thicken sauce: Pour in thickened cream and stir well. Let the sauce simmer gently for 3–4 minutes until it slightly thickens.
- Incorporate cheese and season: Stir in grated parmesan cheese, season with sea salt flakes and freshly cracked black pepper to taste, turning off the heat.
- Toss pasta in sauce: Add the cooked pasta to the pan and gently stir to combine with the sauce evenly.
- Serve immediately: Serve the creamy sausage pasta hot, garnished with extra parmesan if desired. The pasta absorbs the sauce more over time, but leftovers remain delicious.
Notes
- Use fresh lasagne sheets cut into strips for a quicker, tender pasta option.
- For regular dried pasta, reduce cooking time slightly so it finishes cooking in the sauce and stays perfectly al dente.
- White wine can be substituted with extra chicken stock for a non-alcoholic version.
- Adjust the amount of crushed chili flakes to your spice preference or omit for a milder taste.
- This dish is best served immediately but reheats well, with sauce flavor deepening after a day.
