Sausage Pasta Three Ways

Updated July 2020.

With tomatoes, zucchini, fresh garlic and basil in season, here are some yummy easy recipes to enjoy with chicken and/or pork sausage. 

1. Smashed zucchini cream and sausage pasta

Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried pasta

• 3-4 medium zucchini (2 lbs), washed

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 6-8 medium cloves garlic, grated on microplane (grating is key!)

• 1 1/3 cup chicken stock or water

• 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

• 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan or pecorino cheese

• 1 cup basil, thinly sliced, or some pesto

• black pepper

• 1/2 – 1 lbs pork sausage

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water well, and boil pasta per package instructions. Drain, reserving some pasta water, and set aside.

2. In the meantime, cook the sausage either by slicing sausage links or cooking ground sausage.

3. In a separate pan, slice the zucchini in half lengthwise and use a spoon to remove most of the seeds. Cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, a minute or so. Stir in the chopped zucchini and 1 1/3 cups stock or water, cover, and simmer until the zucchini absorbs most of the water and softens, roughly 8-10 minutes.

4. Remove from heat, and carefully, with a fork or (even better) a potato masher, smash the zucchini until creamy.

5. Add the sausage and cook for a few more minutes to incorporate.

6. Transfer the zucchini to a large serving bowl. Add most of the cheese and most of the basil, and lots of pepper. Stir in the pasta, and a splash of the pasta water if you want to thin it out at all. Taste, and add salt if needed. Finish by topping with remaining cheese and basil.

Recipe can be easily doubled. Adapted from 101cookbooks.com.

2. Fresh tomato, sausage pasta

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 pound chicken or pork sausage, sliced for a chunky sauce or removed from casing for a crumbled sausage

• 2 cups of chopped fresh tomatoes

• 2-3 garlic, minced

• 1 pound pasta, linguine, penne, thicker pastas

• ½ cup or more freshly grated Parmesan (optional)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• Fresh basil leaves

Preparation

1. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. As it heats, add the sausage. If you want crumbled sausage, chop the sausage in the pan to make the bits quite small.

2. After a few minutes, add the tomatoes and garlic. Let simmer for 15 minutes or until the tomatoes are broken down and saucy.

3. In the meantime, bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

4. Cook the pasta to al dente (or as preferred).

5. Drain the pasta, and dress with the sauce. Toss with salt, pepper and basil, and serve.

3. White wine, sausage pasta

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoon fat (lard, butter or olive oil)

• 1 pound chicken or pork sausage (remove it from the casing)

• 3 teaspoons sweet or smoked paprika (optional)

• 1 – 1½ cup dry white wine (or rich chicken stock)

• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 bunch rapini, chopped into small pieces (optional)

• 1 pound pasta like bucatini, linguine or even penne

• ½ cup or more freshly grated Parmesan

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.

2. Heat in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. As it melts, crumble the sausage meat into it, making the bits quite small. Add garlic.

3. After a few minutes add 1 cup white wine and the rapini and adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers gently and forms a sauce consistency. Add more wine to consistency of your preference.

4. Cook the pasta to al dente (or as preferred). Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.

5. Drain the pasta, and dress with the sauce, adding a little of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary. Toss with salt, pepper and Parmesan, and serve.

6. Serve with huge salad!

Photo by Christine Siracusa on Unsplash.

Recipes 2 & 3 adapted from NYTimes.com and iwillnoteatoysters.com.