Many one pot meals involve cooking pasta within a watered down sauce, along with the other elements of the dish. This eliminates the (now seemingly unnecessary) task of boiling pasta by itself. The other benefit, beyond sparing you from an extra pot to clean, is that all of the starchy goodness from the pasta seeps right into the rest of the ingredients, creating a restaurant-worthy, so-good-you-want-to-cry, sauce.
This dish, inspired by Smells Like Home, is by far my favorite one pot dinner. I find the mild Italian sausage lends plenty of heat to this dish, but feel free to go bold with the spicy variety. This dish also tastes great as leftovers, but we rarely have any left to save.
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Comforting pasta in a creamy tomato sauce gets a spicy kick from Italian sausage. Make this one pot wonder in just over 30 minutes for a delicious dinner even on busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (optional)
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 pound ground mild or hot italian sausage
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 3 cups water
- 8 ounces short pasta such as penne or mostaccioli
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat up olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pepper and onion and saute until they soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add in garlic, fennel, red pepper flakes, and a pinch of salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds then add in crumbled Italian sausage and cook until browned.
- Add wine and scrape around the pan to release the flavorful brown bits at the bottom. Add in marinara sauce, water, and pasta and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring once half-way through, then every few minutes towards the end. Add in up to a cup more water if needed.
- Once the pasta is tender, add in the cream, parmesan cheese, and half of the basil and stir well to combine. After a minute or two, remove from heat and allow to cool. Serve garnished with the remaining basil.
Keywords: one pot creamy sausage pasta recipe
