Sausage and Peas Pasta Sauce

This sausage and peas pasta sauce is rounded out by just a little cream and the wonderful addition of chopped, fresh sage.

Start your recipe by taking your sweet Italian sausage out of its casing. I just use my ktchen scissors to cut an opening all the way up the back of the link. Peel off the casing and toss it out.

Next prep the herbs, sage for the sausage mixture and parsley for the topping, by washing and dryimg the sprigs. Then go ahead and chop enough sage to make 3 tablespoons.

I prefer this sauce over a short noodle as the sauce ingredients gather into the curves and make it easier to eat. I had on hand De Cecco’s cavatappi so I used that. You can use penne or any other short pasta you like. It’s all headed for the same place in the end! Anyway, this a good time to start boiling 5 – 6 quarts of water to cook your one pound of noodles.

Sausage and Peas and Cream and Sage

This next step is simple and gets a lot accomplished. Melt the butter in a large skillet and cook the onions about 5 minutes, just until they’re softened. Then add the tomato paste, sausage links and cream and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. A potato masher makes easy work of crumbling the sausage links–which really don’t want to be crumbled!

As the mixture cooks, heat the oil in a saucepan and sauté the garlic and sage, about 2 minutes. Add the water, frozen peas and pinch of sugar and simmer until the peas are tender, about 10 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of kosher salt to your hopefully by now boiling pasta water, then add the pasta and cook until al dente.

After you drain the pasta, pour it over the sausage mixture in the skillet then add the peas and their liquid. Gently toss. Sprinkle with cheese and parsley and serve.

If you want to grow your own sage from seeds, you can order a packet of seeds from Italy here.

Yield: Serves 4-6

Total Time: 50 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste, perferably double-concentrate
1 pound Italian sweet sausage, removed from casing ( or hot if preferred)
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups frozen peas
1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 cup hot water, or more if needed
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 pound penne orother short pasta
1/2 cup freshley grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Start bringing a lot pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the onion and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and the sausage, pour in the cream and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan over low heat, heat the oil and sauté the garlic and sage about 2 minutes. Be sure not to burn the garlic.
Stir in the peas, sugar and water and simmer until the peas are tender, about 10 minutes.
Season the peas with salt and pepper to taste then stir in the parsley.
After salting the boiling pasta water, cook the pasta until al dente.
Add the pasta to the sausage/cream mixture then add the pea mixture.
Toss well, sprinkle with the Parmesan and chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Sausage and Peas and Cream and Sage