Main Dishes
Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce
Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce- Pasta coated in a rich, creamy sauce with Parmesan cheese and nicely browned and crusted
- Serves 4
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 20 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
Hebeli participates in affiliate advertising programs. We may earn a commission when you make a purchase through links on our site.
Type Of Pasta To Use
I used cavatappi, but you could also use penne, fusilli, or orecchiette (which is the one I really wanted to use but couldn’t find.)
How To Cook The Sausage
I used a pound of bulk mild Italian sausage, but you could use hot Italian sausage instead. For cooking the sausage I used a method I learned from Cook’s Illustrated. Ordinarily if you sauté Italian sausage and break it apart as it cooks, by the time you develop some nice browning on it, the sausage becomes a little dry and chewy.
But if you sprinkle some baking soda on it, let it sit for a few minutes, then cook it in a big patty so you can get a nice sear on each side without overcooking it, it stays fabulously tender. Take it out of the pan while still undercooked, chop it into bite-sized pieces and let it finish cooking in the cream sauce. Delicious!
Equipment Needed For Pasta With Sausage Cream Sauce
- Pasta Pot- I really recommend using apasta pot like this with a lid strainer. I was badly burned on my arm a few years ago carrying a pot of boiling water to the sink. Now I always use a pot like this one so the water can’t spill out on my way to the sink.
- Large Skillet
More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta
- Spicy Tomato Cream Pasta
- Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta
- Mardi Gras Pasta
- Feta Shrimp Penne
Originally posted November 5, 2014.
Recipe
Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce
Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce is comfort food in a bowl. Parmesan cheese, white wine, and a little nutmeg flavor this rich, tomatoless sauce.
- Serves 4
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 20 minutes
- Total 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet or mild Italian sausage
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 small sweet or yellow onion, (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic, (minced)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 ounces pasta cooked until al dente, (reserve 1/2 cup cooking liquid)
Instructions
- 1
Sprinkle both sides of sausage with baking soda and shape into a large hamburger patty about 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick. Let sit 10 minutes.
- 2
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Place sausage on a plate or cutting board and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Transfer sausage to a bowl and add cream. Set aside.
- 3
If there is more than 1 1/2 tablespoons of grease in skillet, discard excess. Add onion to skillet and cook over medium heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.
- 4
Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- 5
Add wine and cook until reduced in half.
- 6
Add sausage/cream mixture and simmer 3 to 4 minutes.
- 7
Add nutmeg, parsley, and Parmesan. Remove from heat and stir until cheese is melted. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved cooking liquid.
- 8
Toss sauce with pasta and serve.
Notes
If you want to make this pasta dish spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
Nutrition
- Calories976 kcal
