About
Maria's Quick Pasta is quite a superb culinary sprint. In barely 30 minutes, you can go from just gathering ingredients in your kitchen to presenting a delicious meal to your distinguished dinner guests! Tender pasta is coated in a thick and creamy, succulent and savory sausage sauce with just a hint of spice and garlic goodness... well, Maria's Quick Pasta is certainly indulgent and tantalizing! Lickety split to licking your fork!
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package rigatoni, penne, or rotini
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage, mild or hot, ground or links with casings removed
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- red pepper flakes, optional, to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more, to taste, shredded, for serving
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, optional, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 -In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the pasta and cook it to al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 2 -Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the remainder. Set the pasta aside.
Step 3 -In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
Step 4 -Add the Italian sausage to the hot oil and cook, while crumbling the meat, until it is browned and cooked through, about 6-8 minutes.
Step 5 -Add the onions, the garlic, the salt, the black pepper, and the red pepper flakes to the ground sausage and stir to combine.
Step 6 -Cook the sausage mixture, while stirring, until the onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Step 7 -Reduce the heat to medium.
Step 8 -Add the heavy cream to the sausage mixture and stir to combine.
Step 9 -Allow the cream mixture to heat until it is just simmering.
Step 10 -Add 1 cup of the parmesan cheese to the cream mixture and stir until melted.
Step 11 -Add the cooked pasta to the sauce mixture and toss until the pasta is fully coated.
Step 12 -If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency. You may not need all or any of the pasta water.
Step 13 -Cook the pasta mixture until it is heated through, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 14 -Top with the basil and the extra parmesan and serve.
