Best Creamy Sausage Pasta Recipe
This easy creamy sausage pasta recipe will become a staple in your house. It is so insanely delicious and the ultimate cozy comfort food in my opinion. Sausage meat is cooked until golden then mixed into a decadent parmesan cream sauce with sage and onion.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 brown onion cut into thin slices
- 220 grams sausages about 3 sausages casings removed and meat squeezed out (I use pork and fennel)
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh sage leaves roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds optional, see notes
- ¾ cup cream
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 50 grams parmesan finely grated
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- Lemon zest and extra parmesan to serve
- Pasta of your choice see notes
Instructions
- Cook your pasta in a large pot of well salted water according to package instructions (I undercook dried pasta by a minute so it can bubble away in the sauce at the end and not overcook).
- In a large skillet melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat and gently fry the onions for 5 - 6 minutes, adding a pinch of salt half way through. Cook until soft and glassy. You don't want lots of colour on them so lower the heat if you need and keep moving round.
- Set them aside on a plate.
- Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter over a medium-high heat and when sizzling add the sausage meat. Break up with a wooden spoon but don't move around too much as you want some nice colour on it.
- Cook for 3 - 4 minutes until cooked through.
- Add the sage and fennel seeds if using and cook for a 30 seconds - 1 minute.
- Lower the heat, push the meat to one side of the pan and add the cream, you only want a very gentle simmer, it shouldn't ever be boiling. (see video below!)
- Don't worry if the cream looks a bit dodgy with the butter and sausage fat at top, it will come together once you whisk the cheese in.
- Add the parmesan to the cream, in a two separate lots, letting it melt into the cream before adding the next lot. I like to use a whisk.
- Add the black pepper and lemon juice and mix quickly with a whisk.
- Add your cooked pasta straight into the sauce along with the onions, toss well and let it all bubble away gently for a minute or two.
- Taste for seasoning and add a pinch or two of sea salt if it needs it.
- Add a splash of pasta water to loosen if you need.
- Serve with extra parmesan and lemon zest on top.
Video
Notes
- Sausages - I use pork and fennel as they are my favorite. I add in some fennel seeds too because maybe I have a fennel addiction, who knows! Use whatever sausages you love and leave out the fennel seeds if you want.
- Pasta - Weigh your pasta portions, it's a 1 minute job and means you get the perfect sauce to pasta ratio. I allow 100 grams dried pasta per person or 150 grams fresh, so 200g dried or 300g fresh for this recipe.
- Double the recipe for 4 people.
- Lemon - I love adding lemon juice to creamy sauces as it cuts through the richness. If you aren't a fan leave it out or just use ½ tablespoon.
- Crispy sage topping - I fried some sage leaves in butter for a topping. Totally optional, you can check out my 10 minute brown butter for pasta recipe for the tutorial and just halve the ingredients.