Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce- Pasta coated in a rich, creamy sauce with Parmesan cheese and nicely browned and crusted Italian sausage equals comfort food in a bowl. This meal is irresistible and perfect for enjoying by the fire on a cold autumn night.
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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 a pasta 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
Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
- Add wine and cook until reduced in half.
- Add sausage/cream mixture and simmer 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add nutmeg, parsley, and Parmesan. Remove from heat and stir until cheese is melted. If sauce is too thick, add some reserved cooking liquid.
- Toss sauce with pasta and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Originally posted November 5, 2014.
I wonder if you meant corn starch instead of baking soda? The baking soda added a really funky, bitter taste. Maybe just me but it wasn’t edible. I rinsed the pan after cooking the sausage and started with new butter (instead of oil) for the onions/garlic etc. I added a tablespoon of flour to the onions/garlic after they softened and then proceeded with the rest of the recipe. The cream sauce without the baking soda sausage was very good.
Baking soda is correct. Here is some information on the process- http://www.livestrong.com/article/523209-can-baking-soda-make-meat-tender-and-juicy/
Sorry you did not like the taste.