Creamy Tuscan Sausage Pasta
Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in a cream sauce thickened with a little cream cheese so it clings to the pasta instead of sliding off. Reserved pasta water keeps it loose. One skillet, about 30 minutes start to finish.
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 1400kcal
Equipment
- 1 large pot (for cooking pasta)
- 1 sauce pan or medium pot
Ingredients
- 10 ounce penne pasta uncooked
- 1 Pound Italian sausage casings removed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 small onion minced
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 cups spinach chopped
- ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded or grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta to al dente, about 1 minute less than the package directions.10 ounce penne pasta uncooked
- Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain. Set the water next to the stove.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, until browned and cooked through to 160°F.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 Pound Italian sausage
- Drain off all but about 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat, leaving the browned bits in the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and cook 1 minute more, stirring often.4 cloves garlic, 1 small onion, ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream and cubed cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese melts completely and no white flecks remain.2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup chicken broth, 4 oz cream cheese
- Simmer gently 5 minutes, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Do not let it come to a hard boil.
- Add the drained pasta and toss to coat. Add the spinach and stir about 1 minute until wilted. Add reserved pasta water a splash at a time if the sauce is tight.2 cups spinach
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan until melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve right away.½ cup parmesan cheese, Salt and pepper to taste
Notes
Sun-dried tomatoes. Oil-packed go in straight from the jar, and a spoonful of the jar oil can replace some of the olive oil in step 3. Dry-packed need a 10-minute soak in hot water and a good drain first, or they stay leathery.
Cream cheese. Cube it and leave it on the counter while you cook. Cold blocks stay lumpy no matter how long you stir.
Parmesan. Grate it from a wedge. Bagged pre-grated cheese is coated to prevent clumping and won't melt smoothly into the sauce.
Heat control. Keep the sauce below a boil once the cream goes in, and always add the Parmesan off the heat. Both are how this sauce breaks.
If the sauce is too thick, loosen it with reserved pasta water over low heat. If it's too thin, simmer a few minutes longer uncovered, or add an extra ounce of cream cheese.
Storage. Airtight in the fridge 3 to 4 days. Reheat low and slow with a splash of broth or milk. Freezes up to 3 months, though the sauce separates on thaw and needs a slow stovetop reheat to come back together.
Make ahead. The sauce and sausage can be made a day early and refrigerated. Cook the pasta fresh and combine, since pasta stored in cream sauce goes soft.
Nutrition
Calories: 1400kcal | Carbohydrates: 151g | Protein: 37.9g | Fat: 76.8g | Saturated Fat: 29.6g | Cholesterol: 139mg | Sodium: 504mg | Potassium: 665mg | Fiber: 8.4g | Sugar: 7.8g | Calcium: 311mg | Iron: 9mg
