Sausage and Basil Pasta
I had some Italian sausage, fresh basil, white wine, and pasta at home, so I kept dinner simple. The sausage gets browned in the pan, the white wine and pasta water bring everything together, and fresh basil and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese finish it off. Nothing complicated—just a quick pasta that turned out absolutely delicious.
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Servings
2
Watch the Video
Ingredients
- 8 oz (225 g) short pasta (rigatoni or penne)
- 12 oz (340 g) Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) dry white wine
- A large handful of fresh basil leaves
- ½ cup (45 g) finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, plus more for serving
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Reserved pasta water, as needed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage well, breaking it up.
- Pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits. Let it reduce by about half.
- Add the pasta and a splash of pasta water. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta.
- Remove from the heat. Tear in the basil and toss with the Parmigiano Reggiano, adding more pasta water if needed.
- Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Chef’s Notes
This is the "what I had" sausage pasta—no tomato, no broccoli, no peppers. The browning and the wine are the whole sauce. Add the basil off the heat so it stays green and fragrant.
Equipment Used
- Large pot
- Large skillet
- Tongs