Description
A creamy and savory pasta dish featuring Italian sausage, perfect for impressing guests with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb Italian sausage, sweet or spicy (cut from the casing)
- 12 oz pasta (penne or rigatoni)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan plus extra for serving
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
- Olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh basil
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; add a drizzle of olive oil. Add the sausage, breaking it into chunks, and brown until no pink remains. Transfer sausage to a plate.
- In the same skillet, add the chopped onion. Sauté until soft and translucent, about 4–5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add heavy cream, stir until the sauce looks silky, and return the sausage to the pan. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Add cooked pasta to the sauce along with the reserved pasta water to loosen if needed. Stir in Parmesan until melted and glossy. Finish with chopped basil.
Notes
For added flavor, be sure to use good-quality sausage and freshly grated Parmesan.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 500mg
- Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 22g
- Cholesterol: 60mg