Creamy Sausage Pasta

When it comes to family favourite recipes, this creamy sausage pasta is right up there. The creamy pasta sauce is flavoured with pork sausage, fennel seeds, sunblush tomatoes, leek and garlic, a winning flavour combination.

The whole dish can be cooked and on the table in less than 30 minutes. Making this creamy tomato sausage pasta dish the ideal dinner for those busy nights when we are all pushed for time but want to put something tasty and nourishing on the table.

When it comes to the perfect comfort food in a bowl, pasta is so often the dish we turn to and this sausage and fennel pasta is no exception. This is the ideal pasta for me, particularly if it’s cold outdoors and you want to warm up from the inside out.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

• Pork, fennel, leek and tomato are the perfect flavour combination as each ingredient compliments the others.
• Make the pasta sauce earlier in the day then heat up and stir through some freshly boiled pasta just before serving.
• Feeding a crowd, no problem as this recipe is easily doubled up.
• Ready in less than 30 minutes, now that’s a winning dish for me any night of the week.
• For a gluten free sausage pasta dish simply swap regular pasta for gluten free pasta.

Recipe ingredients & substitutions

• Pork Sausages: use a good quality pork sausage, Italian pork sausages or a good Cumberland Sausage would work as would a spicy chorizo sausage.
• Fennel Seeds: sausage and fennel are a great flavour combination. Grind the seeds to really impart the flavour through the sauce.
• Olive Oil: substitute with rapeseed oil or sunflower oil.
• Vegetables: onion, leek and garlic form the base of the pasta sauce and all pair beautifully with pork. If you don’t like one of the flavours leave it out.
• Dried Pasta: use any shape or variety of dried pasta. You could also use fresh pasta. For a gluten free sausage pasta, substitute regular pasta with gluten free pasta.
• Sunblush Tomatoes: are softer and juicier than sundried tomatoes, but either will work in this sauce. Use a little of the oil the tomatoes come in to flavour the sauce too. Why not try making your own tomatoes with our recipe for Oven Roasted Tomatoes.
• Dried Oregano: adds depth of flavour to the sauce, you could also use Italian mixed herbs.
• Fresh Parsley: is added for freshness. You could also use freshly chopped basil.
• Single Cream: adds the creamy element to the sauce. Substitute with low fat creme fraiche for a lighter sauce.
• Parmesan Cheese: flavours the sauce, you can use another strong flavoured hard cheese like Grano Padano or Pecorino Romano.

How to make creamy sausage pasta

• Look out all the ingredients, ready to start
• Remove and discard the skins from the pork sausages.
• Prepare the onion, leek and garlic.
• Place the fennel seeds into a pestle & mortar along with a teaspoon of sea salt.
• Sausage and fennel pasta are a great flavour combination so take time to grind the seeds to a fine powder – the sea salt is coarse and helps break down the seeds.
• Place a pan of boiling, salted water on the stove and cook the pasta until al dente, approximately 12-15 minutes. Drain the pasta, making sure you retain a cup of pasta cooking water to add to the finished sauce later.

• Pour the olive oil into a large non-stick frying pan and heat to medium high.
• Now take the pork sausages and break them into the pan in small pieces.
• Use a wooden spoon to break down the sausage further into small pieces, similar to how you would break up minced meat.
• Continue to cook until the sausage is cooked and starting to brown on the outside.
• Now add the ground fennel seeds to the sausage and stir through to combine and cook for a minute.

• Add the onion and leek to the pan and continue to cook for 5 minutes.
• Now add the crushed garlic and cook for a further minute.

• Next add the chopped sunblush tomatoes, along with any of the oil they come in, the dried oregano and the freshly chopped parsley. Stir well to combine.
• Add the single cream, Parmesan cheese and a ladle of the retained pasta water to the sauce and stir through.
• Check the sauce for seasoning, add a good crack of black pepper and salt to taste.
• Finally stir through the cooked pasta and serve immediately.
• You can grate over extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

Recipe flavour variations

This recipe is easily adapted to incorporate other flavours. Here are some ideas:

• Spice it up by adding some fresh chilli, chilli flakes or some ground paprika.
• Swap the pork sausage for some spicy chorizo, smoked bacon or even some sliced chicken.
• Add in extra veggies like bell peppers, courgette, carrots, green beans or a handful of garden peas.
• Add white wine (200ml) to the pasta sauce just after you have cooked the onion, leek and garlic. Pour it into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the wine to reduce and burn off any alcohol.

How to adapt this recipe for a creamy pasta sausage bake

This pasta recipe can be easily adapted to make a creamy pasta sausage bake:

• Cook the pasta and sauce as detailed in the recipe card below, you may need to add a little extra pasta cooking water to loosen the sauce a little.
• Grate some cheddar or Parmesan cheese and mix with a handful of panko breadcrumbs and some freshly chopped parsley.
• Place the pasta into an oven proof dish and sprinkle over the cheesy breadcrumb mixture.
• Place the dish into a pre-heated oven at 180CFan/160C for 30 minutes until warm through.

Serving suggestion

This bowl of creamy tomato sausage pasta is hearty, rich and filling so if I were to serve anything alongside it would be a simple green salad and some fresh tomatoes. However, you could also add some crusty bread or garlic bread if you like.

Useful hints and tips

1. To help grind fennel seeds to a powder, add a teaspoon of sea salt. The coarse salt will help break down the seeds.
2. Retain a cup of the starchy pasta cooking water so you can add a ladle or two to the pasta sauce. The pasta water adds flavour to the pasta sauce as well helping to bind the sauce together with the cooked pasta.
3. Feeding a crowd? No problem, this recipe is easily double up.
4. To make this sausage and fennel pasta gluten free, use gluten free pasta in place of regular pasta.
5. Allergy advice: egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

Pin the recipe

Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of our other quick and easy pasta recipes:

• Creamy Chicken & Bacon Tomato Pasta
• Ham & Broccoli Pasta Bake
• Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce
• Courgette Pasta
• Smoked Salmon Pasta
• Pumpkin Pasta with Brown Butter Sauce
• Courgette & Chorizo Gnocchi
• Pumpkin Gnocchi

For more more inspiration on feeding the family take a look at our Ultimate Guide to Family Dining. This guide is full of hints, tips and recipe ideas.