Creamy Sausage Pasta

Comforting Creamy Sausage Pasta is a delicious, flavour-packed weeknight dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes. Uses fresh lasagne strips to create thick, indulgent pasta in a luscious sauce.

Ingredients

Pasta

• Salt, for pasta water
• 250 g fresh lasagne sheets, or pasta of choice

Sauce

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 450 g Italian pork sausages (mild or spicy), casings removed
• 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 125 ml dry white wine (or more chicken stock)
• 250 ml chicken stock
• 1 tbsp Italian mixed herbs
• ½ tsp crushed chilli flakes (optional)
• 250 ml thickened cream
• 50 g freshly grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
• Sea salt flakes, to taste
• Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
2. If using fresh lasagne sheets, cut or tear into strips roughly 2.5 cm thick. Cook AFTER preparing the sauce – they only need 30–60 seconds.
3. Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add sausages and cook, breaking into small pieces, for about 5 minutes until browned and cooked through.
4. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1–2 minutes.
5. Add white wine and simmer for 2–3 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan. Once most has evaporated, add chicken stock. Cook for 2–3 minutes until reduced by half.
6. Stir in Italian mixed herbs and chilli flakes. Add cream and simmer for 3–4 minutes until slightly thickened.
7. Stir in parmesan and season to taste. Turn heat off, add cooked pasta and stir through the sauce.
8. Serve immediately with extra parmesan.

Tips

• Fresh lasagne sheets cook quickly (30–60 seconds) and create amazing thick flat pasta resembling pappardelle. This won’t work with dry lasagne sheets.
• Don’t skip the tomato paste – it intensifies the umami flavour and adds rich depth.
• Serve immediately as the sauce thickens the longer it sits. Use a splash of pasta water or boiling water to loosen if needed.
• Leftovers are incredible the next day. Reheat gently with a splash of milk, cream or chicken stock to keep the sauce creamy.