Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

Creamy Italian sausage pasta combines sweet fennel sausage and al dente pappardelle tossed with a velvety tomato-based cream sauce that’s finished with grated Pecorino and hand-torn fresh basil.  This simple but hearty pasta can be on your table in about 45 minutes.

 

Editor’s Note: Originally published on 9/28/2018.  Updated with full process shots and expanded info.

Sausage, cream, pasta: these three words, when combined, might just be my favorite phrase ever!

And these are the main ingredients in this creamy Italian sausage pasta.

The tomato-cream sauce provides a velvety backdrop to the sweet fennel sausage, and the pappardelle proves to be the perfect medium to deliver both right to your mouth!

Serve with your favorite veggies, like roasted broccoli, or garlic sauteed broccoli rabe for a full meal.

And if you love creamy sausage recipes, try this creamy sausage and tortellini soup!

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons of Morton’s kosher salt per gallon of water) to boil.  Dice 1 medium onion and slice 5 cloves of garlic.  Grate 3/4 cup of Pecorino Romano.  Heat a large pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 1 pound of bulk mild Italian sausage.
2. Brown the sausage for about 7 minutes until cooked through and break the sausage up using a spoon or meat masher.

3. Turn the heat down to medium and add the onions.  Saute the onions for 3-4 minutes or until softened.
4. Add the garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes or until lightly golden.  Add a 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
5. Add 3 ounces of tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes while stirring very frequently.
6. Turn the heat to medium-high and add 3/4 cup of dry white wine.  Continue to cook for 1-2 minutes or until the wine has reduced by about half.  Scrape the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits.

7. Add 14 ounces of crushed tomatoes (can be whole plum tomatoes, either hand-crushed or blender pulsed), and bring the sauce to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer.  Meanwhile, add 1 lb of pappardelle pasta to the boiling water, cooking it to 1 minute less than al dente.
8. About 5 minutes before your pasta reaches al dente, add 1 cup of heavy cream to the sauce and mix well to incorporate.
9. Once the pasta is almost al dente, add it to the sauce and mix well or toss to coat the pappardelle.
10. If needed, add a touch of pasta water and continue cooking, stirring frequently until the pasta reaches al dente.

11. Remove the pan from the heat and add the Pecorino, mixing well.  Taste test and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
12. Top with roughly a 1/4 cup worth of hand-torn fresh basil.  If the pasta dries out at all, add a touch more reserved pasta water and stir to combine.  Serve your creamy Italian sausage pasta with more grated Pecorino and enjoy!

Top tips

• Sausage. I used mild Italian bulk sausage with fennel for this recipe.  If you can’t find bulk sausage, you can buy sausage links and remove the meat from its casing.  If you can’t find fennel sausage, you could add 2 teaspoons of loose fennel seed if desired.
• Save your pasta water! As with any cream sauce pasta, it’s so important to save your pasta water!  Cream sauces have a tendency to dry out and pasta water is the perfect antidote to bring it back to its intended glossy consistency.
• Pasta. I love pappardelle for hearty pasta dishes, like my short rib ragu, so that’s what I’ve used here. If you can’t find pappardelle, you can use rigatoni, paccheri, or any other pasta that will hold up to the weight of the cream and sausage.
• Cream. I strongly recommend using heavy cream for this creamy sausage pasta because it won’t break.  Using milk or half and half can lead to a broken sauce due to the acid if the wine and tomatoes.  If you insist on using milk or half and half, tempering is recommended.
• Wine. I used a Sauvignon Blanc for this recipe but any dry white wine will do.  If you prefer to not use wine, you can replace the liquid with water or stock.

More hearty creamy pasta recipes

• Gorgonzola cream sauce pasta – with sausage and peas.
• Pasta alla boscaiola – with mushrooms, rosemary, and sausage.
• Pasta alla Norcina – sausage, cream, nutmeg, and white wine.

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This recipe was originally published on September 28, 2018.  It was completely updated on April 10, 2023.