this Creamy Sausage Pasta with Saffron Perfect for a special night in – creamy without being heavy, loaded with delicious Italian sausage and finished with a touch of saffron for warmth and depth. It feels indulgent and romantic, but is still totally doable on a weeknight.
It’s always hard to find recipes that are special enough for a cozy night in, so I wanted to create one that’s both delicious and comforting, whether you’re celebrating Valentine’s Day, entertaining friends, or just making dinner feel a little extra. It’s perfect for a crowd (I made it for my Galentine party!), and I swear it tastes just like what you’d order at your favorite Italian restaurant – no reservations required. When Clayton took a bite, he looked up and said, “Wow, what is this?!”
The sauce is somewhere between meat sauce and vodka sauce, with rich flavors of tomato sauce, heavy cream, saffron and sausage. I like to serve it with penne pasta, which is hearty and perfect for holding meaty sausage, but any similarly shaped pasta will do (paccheri, calamaratta, even cat ears).
raw material
- saffron
- dry white wine
- extra virgin olive oil
- onion
- garlic cloves
- ketchup
- heavy cream
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- Dry penne pasta
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- freshly squeezed lemon juice
- fresh parsley leaves
Step by step:
Step 1: Boil the water
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Step Two: Let the Saffron Bloom
Meanwhile, in a small bowl or cup, stir together the saffron strands and white wine. Set aside to allow the saffron to “bloom”.
Step Three: Cook the Sausage
Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, breaking up meat with edge of spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Drain off excess fat if needed.
Step 4: Saute onions and garlic
Reduce heat to medium and add scallions and garlic. Cook until they start to soften, about 2 minutes.
Step 5: Add wine
Pour in the saffron wine mixture and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add tomato paste and stir until well combined.
Step 6: Add light cream and stir evenly
Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream, salt, and pepper. While preparing the pasta, simmer, stirring occasionally.
Step Seven: Cook the Pasta
Cook pasta in boiling water with generous salt according to package directions until al dente. When the pasta is tender, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
Step 8: Stir evenly
Increase the heat of the sausage sauce to medium. Add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and stir until well combined. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and continue cooking, stirring, until the pasta is well coated in the sauce and glossy. Finally squeeze in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. You probably won’t need another 1/2 cup of pasta water, but if your pasta sauce is too thick you’ll need to thin it out, add some splash and stir until it’s coated and glossy.
Step 9: Decorate and Serve
To serve, divide pasta among 2 to 4 pasta bowls. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese and finish with parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ:
The heat level really depends on the type of sausage you use. If you are sensitive to spices, feel free to use mild Italian sausage!
Yes! Feel free to use your favorite gluten-free pasta (I personally like the brown rice pasta from Jovial Foods).
If you’re looking for a restaurant-worthy recipe to make for Valentine’s Day or date night at home, I hope you’ll give this Creamy Sausage Penne with Saffron a try!
Looking for more date night recipes? Try these!
Basque-Style Roasted Peppers with Grilled Ribeye Steak
champagne cock
Delicious green pasta with Calabrian bread crumbs
Flourless Chocolate Cake
Creamy Sausage Pasta with Saffron
#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-full svg * { fill: #343434; } #wprm-recipe-user-space-7 .wprm-space-star.wprm-space-star-33 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-space-space-7-33); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7 .wprm-rating-star.wprm-rating-star-50 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7-50); }#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7 .wprm-space-star.wprm-space-star-66 svg * { fill: url(#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7-50); url(#wprm-space-space-7-66); }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7-33 stop { stop-color: #343434; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7-50 stop { stop-color: #343434; }linearGradient#wprm-recipe-user-rating-7-66 stop { stop-color: #343434; }
raw material
- 1 teaspoon saffron thread
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 spoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 pound Bulk Hot Italian Sausage
- 1/2 cup minced green onion (about 1 green onion)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 spoon ketchup
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, Add more as needed
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 ounce dry macaroni
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more services
- 1 spoon freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)
- 1 spoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
instruct
-
Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
-
Meanwhile, in a small bowl or cup, stir together the saffron strands and white wine. Set aside to allow the saffron to “bloom”.
-
Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, breaking up meat with edge of spoon, until cooked through and no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Drain off excess fat if needed.
-
Reduce heat to medium and add scallions and garlic. Cook until they start to soften, about 2 minutes.
-
Pour in the saffron wine mixture and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add tomato paste and stir until well combined.
-
Reduce heat to low and stir in heavy cream, salt, and pepper. While preparing the pasta, simmer, stirring occasionally.
-
Cook pasta in boiling water with generous salt according to package directions until al dente. When the pasta is tender, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
-
Increase the heat of the sausage sauce to medium. Add pasta and 1/2 cup reserved pasta water and stir until well combined. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and continue cooking, stirring, until the pasta is well coated in the sauce and glossy. Finally squeeze in the lemon juice and remove from the heat. You probably won’t need another 1/2 cup of pasta water, but if your pasta sauce is too thick you’ll need to thin it out, add some splash and stir until it’s coated and glossy.
-
To serve, divide pasta between 2 pasta bowls. Sprinkle with a little Parmesan cheese and finish with parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Photography and styling provided by Eat Love Eats.
The post Creamy Sausage Penne with Saffron appeared first on Defining Dishes.