Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 1 lb dry penne pasta
- 1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage (mild or spicy)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, julienned
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- ~4 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Get Your Pasta Water Going
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions – usually ~10-12 minutes depending on the brand.
Before you drain, reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water; you’ll likely need some of it to loosen the sauce.
Brown the Sausage and Build the Base
While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the sausage and cook until browned, breaking it into small crumbles with your spoon – this takes ~6-8 minutes.
You want good color on the sausage; that’s where a lot of the flavor comes from.
Stir in the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, cooking for ~1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Don’t let the garlic burn or it’ll turn bitter.
Deglaze and Add the Cream
Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the skillet – those bits are pure flavor.
Let it simmer briefly to reduce by about half.
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream.
Simmer gently for ~2-3 minutes; do not let this boil or the cream will break and look curdled.
Finish the Sauce and Toss with Pasta
Add the Parmesan, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens – this happens pretty quickly.
Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, ~1 minute.
Add the drained pasta and toss to coat everything evenly.
If the sauce seems too thick, add splashes of the reserved pasta water until it reaches the consistency you want.
Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
Serve hot with extra Parmesan and red pepper flakes on the side.
Creamy Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
Ingredients (~6 servings)
- 1 lb dry penne pasta
- 1 1/2 lbs Italian sausage mild or spicy
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes julienned
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream at room temperature
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- ~4 cups baby spinach
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook penne until al dente, about 10-12 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
- While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, breaking into crumbles, 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and sun-dried tomatoes, cooking 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in chicken broth, scraping up browned bits, and simmer until reduced by half.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream. Simmer gently 2-3 minutes without boiling.
- Add Parmesan and stir until sauce thickens.
- Stir in spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add drained pasta and toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Serve hot with extra Parmesan.
