MARRY ME ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA

It was the interesting title that made me take note, and it certainly was a scrumptious meal. I don’t know much about wines but when wine is called for in a recipe, I usually have a glass at the table. This was the one we tried.

I looked this up on Google to accurately describe this Dry Riesling. It said "it is a crisp, aromatic and mineral-driven white wine from Washington's Columbia Valley, renowned for its bright acidity and excellent balance. It features prominent notes of green apple, lime zest, jasmine and white peach, often with a hint of white pepper or spice, delivering a clean and refreshing finish." Not being a connoisseur of wine, I thought it was a very nice addition to our meal. 

I found the recipe at Salt and Lavender hosted by Natasha. The original recipe can be found here.

Marry Me Italian Sausage Pasta

4 servings

8 ounces uncooked pasta

11 ounces Italian Sausage

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 cup heavy/whipping cream

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes 

(If you are using sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drain thoroughly. If not julienned, do this before you add it to the pan. This is where we would dice them - see Gregg's note at the bottom. Ours was in oil and already cut up.)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 small handful fresh basil, chopped or torn

Freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, optional, to taste

Boil a pot of salted water and cook pasta according to package directions (it should be al dente). Save a little of the pasta water in case you need to thin the sauce later.

Meanwhile, take the sausage out of their casings (unless you found some in a roll) and crumble meat into a skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it is browned all over.

Transfer the sausage to a plate lined with paper towel. If there is a lot of fat left in the pan, discard it all.

Reduce the heat to medium, then add in the garlic and wine. Let it bubble for about a minute or until liquid is reduced by half.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with 2 teaspoons of cold water, to make a cornstarch slurry.

Stir in the cream and tomato paste, and once the tomato paste is incorporated, add in the sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and the cornstarch slurry. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add the sausage back into the pan and cook for a few more minutes until the sauce has thickened to your liking. 

Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce (add a splash of the hot pasta water prior to draining if you want to thin the sauce a bit).

Serve immediately with fresh basil sprinkled on top, and freshly grated Parmesan Cheese if using. 

The only changes we made was with the pasta. Our host used penne. We always seem to have butterfly in the pantry and that is what we used. Penne will be on the shopping list just for a change of pace next time.

Everything else we followed the recipe. It was excellent. I gave it a 10 out of 10. Gregg gave it a 9 out of 10. He said he would use a different sun-dried tomato next time as he found this a bit too salty. They were sliced but he said they would have been better if they had have been diced (I could see his point. I don’t usually add a lot of salt to our meals.) But all that being said he had seconds.

We had a mixed vegetable salad on the side.

I can't think of anything else but if you have any questions - or tips - please let me know in the comment section.

If you would like to copy and paste the address below instead of using the link I provided, here it is:

https://www.saltandlavender.com/marry-me-italian-sausage-pasta/

Thanks for looking, have a great day 

and Bon Appetit!