Creamy Sausage Pasta

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 5 minutes
• total time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

Salt, for pasta water

250 g (9 oz) fresh lasagne sheets, or pasta of your choice (see note 1)

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 chilli (red pepper) flakes (optional)

1 cup (250 ml) thickened (heavy) cream

½ cup (50 g) freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

COOK THE PASTA

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.

Fresh lasagne sheets –

If using fresh lasagne sheets, prepare them by cutting or tearing them into strips, roughly 2.5 cm (1 inch) thick. Cook them AFTER you have prepared the sauce. They will only need 30–60 seconds and can then be drained and added directly to the sauce.

Regular pasta –

If you are using regular pasta, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions, less 1 minute. Drain well. They will continue cooking in the sauce.

THE SAUCE

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.

Add the sausages and cook, breaking them into small pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon, for about 5 minutes, until browned and cooked through.

Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes to caramelise it and enhance its flavour.

Add the white wine (or chicken stock) and let it simmer for 2–3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze and pick up any browned bits.

Once most of the wine has evaporated, add the chicken stock. Cook for 2–3 minutes until it has reduced by half.

Stir in the Italian mixed herbs and crushed chilli flakes, if using.

Add the cream, stirring well to combine, and let the sauce simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened.

Stir in the grated parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn the heat off, add the cooked pasta and stir it through the sauce. Garnish with the basil.

The pasta will begin to absorb the sauce the longer it sits (although leftovers taste amazing the next day!). It is best served immediately, with extra parmesan if desired.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: one pan
• Calories: 765
• Total Fat: 56.6 g
• Saturated Fat: 22.5 g
• Trans Fat: 0.4 g
• Cholesterol: 128.4 mg
• Sodium: 1678.9 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 30.7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3.4 g
• Total Sugars: 3 g
• Protein: 26 g