Pasta with sausage, tomatoes and cream
This is one of our all time favorite pasta recipes. Usually I make it with bow-ties (farfalle), but this time I used another shape. The June 1990 copy of Bon Appétit that the original recipe came from is water spotted and starting to fall apart. Since I don’t know how long the magazine is going to last, and I’ve tweaked a couple of things, I’m going to record my version here so I don’t lose it.
- 1 lb sweet italian sausages, casings removed
- 3-4 dried hot red peppers*
- 0.5 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 28 oz diced tomatoes, drained (or use whole tomatoes coarsely chopped and drained)
- 1.5 cups whipping cream
- 1 lb bow-ties(farfalle)
- 3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (or basil if in season)
- salt
- olive oil
- parmesan cheese to serve
- Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage meat and hot peppers.
- Cook until the sausage is no longer pink breaking it into small chunks. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for about 7 minutes until the onions are tender and the sausage is light brown.
- Meanwhile bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta al dente.
- Add the drained tomatoes and whipping cream to the mixture in the skillet. Bring it to a simmer and cook until it thickens slightly, about 4-5 minutes (you can add a little more cream if it gets too thick).
- Combine the cooked pasta with the sauce, and simmer until everything is warmed through and the sauce is thickened to your taste.
- Sprinkle with the parsley, and serve with the grated parmesan on the side.
* I started using whole peppers when the kids were small because they imparted a little kick, but were relatively easy to pick out at the end. If you like your pasta spicy, just break up the peppers, or use pepper flakes to your taste.