Sausage and Cream Pasta

Dreamy and decadent, Sausage and Cream Pasta satisfies on those nights when there’s no room for any kitchen intricacies. It’s the kind of dinner I make when I need something dead simple but comforting.

It’s easy enough to be one of my standby meals. But Sausage and Cream Pasta is not a regular in the rotation, so it feels special. Still, when there’s cream in the fridge and my tank is low, it’s perfect.

Sausage and Cream Pasta has a bland look that belies its luxury. Mild Italian sausage sautéed with onion creates nubbly bits of delight. A pour of heavy cream and a splash of pasta cooking water make a barely-there sauce that melds beautifully with the pasta and sausage.

The dish is all about the flavors of Italian sausage suffused with cream. Beyond that it’s seasoned simply with salt and pepper. Though I add fennel seeds to play up the sweet flavors in the sausage.And a sprinkling of parmesan delivers a savory finish.

It’s an easy sauce without the worries that other creamy pasta sauces present. There’s no stress about getting it just right as with Carbonara or Cacio e Pepe or even Alfredo. Just brown the sausage and pour in some cream.

It seems this would be the appropriate time to make a serving suggestion. Something like, round out the meal with a green salad or steamed vegetables. But I promised easy comfort food. So I’ve got no problem digging into a bowl of Sausage and Cream Pasta straight up.

More Please?

• I learned about Sausages and Cream Sauce in Marcella Hazan’s Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. Hazan notes the sauce is popular in Bologna and suggests using a pasta shape with crevices to capture the bits of sausage.
• Sausages and Cream Sauce doesn’t get the kind of attention that Hazan’s tomato butter and Bolognese recipes generate, but it hits just as hard. In a cookbook with no photos, the title jumped out at me.

Sausage and Cream Pasta

Sausage and Cream Pasta satisfies on those nights when you want comfort food but simple. The dish is all about bits of Italian sausage suffused with cream. Sautéed onions and a pinch of fennel seeds complement the sweet flavors. A pour of heavy cream makes a silky sauce that melds with the pasta. Adapted from Sausages and Cream Sauce in Marcella Hazan's "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking." Makes two to three large servings or four smaller portions.

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Author Margie

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Servings 2 generous helpings

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 pound dry pasta
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage or 2 links casings removed from links
• 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• about 2 Tablespoons pasta cooking water, more as desired
• freshly grated parmesan, garnish

Instructions

 

Boiling the Pasta and Getting Ready

• Fill a large pot with enough water to cook 1/2 pound of dry pasta, per instructions on the package. Bring water to a full boil. Add about 2 to 3 teaspoons salt to the water.
• As the water comes to a boil, dice onion for the sauce and set aside. Assemble remaining ingredients for the sauce.
• Add dried pasta to the pot of salted boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until pasta is al dente (or longer if you prefer) following instructions on packaging.
• Reserve about a half cup of hot pasta cooking water. Drain cooked pasta and combine with completed sauce.

Preparing the Sausage and Cream Sauce

• Prepare sauce as pasta cooks. Heat olive oil in large frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté about 4 minutes until soft.
• Add the sausage to the pan, removing from casing if necessary. Add fennel seeds, salt, and black pepper to the pan. Use a spatula to break up the sausage. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently until sausage is cooked through.
• Pour in heavy cream and about 2 Tablespoons of the reserved hot pasta cooking water. Stir for a minute or so until cream is reduced slightly and the sauce is hot throughout.
• Add the cooked pasta to the sausage and cream sauce. Stir well to combine. If desired to further moisten pasta, add another spoonful of pasta cooking water. If desired, add more salt to taste.
• Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Notes

1. Use your preferred shape of pasta, though one with nooks and crannies does a better job at capturing nuggets of sausage, if you’re into that sort of thing.
2. A mild or sweet Italian sausage pairs well with the cream. 
3. Inspired by sausage pizza popular in Chicago, my preference when cooking with Italian sausage is often to add fennel seeds. In her Sausages and Cream Sauce recipe, Marcella Hazan calls for sweet sausage “containing no fennel seeds, chili pepper, or other strong seasonings.” Feel free to choose your own path. 
4. The recipe calls for just enough heavy cream, with the addition of some pasta cooking water, to coat the pasta. For a creamier, more liquid sauce, you could use an additional Tablespoon or more of heavy cream. 
5. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and reheat with a splash of water.