Pasta with Savory Sausage & Cream

A couple of weeks was ago we celebrated the 5th birthday for my two little Maltese, SweetPea and SnowPea.   I always have a small cake for them and a couple of friends come over for food and fun.  Of course, it is all about the guests of honor, but they let me share the spotlight with this award winning recipe.

Pasta with Savory Sausage & Cream

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and reserved
1 tablespoon oil from sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 Cup diced yellow onions
3 Medium cloves garlic, peeled and diced
1 pound sweet Italian Sausage
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
28 ounces Italian-style plum tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 1/2 Cups whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bow tie pasta
1/4 Cup minced fresh wide-leaf parsley or basil
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Feta or Gorgonzola cheese

• Heat olive oil and reserved sun-dried tomato oil in a large skillet; mix in onions and garlic and cook until tender.
• Stir in sausage, sun dried tomatoes, and red pepper into olive and onion mixture.
• Cook for seven minutes, breaking up sausage until no longer pink.
• Stir in tomatoes, whipping cream and salt.
• Lower heat and simmer until mixture thickens, approximately four minutes.
• Cook bowtie pasta in boiling water with salt, approximately 10 minutes or until al dente.
• Drain Water, stir bowtie pasta into sauce
• Stir in parsley or basil.
• Serve with toasted pine nuts and the cheese of your choice

Serves 4
Preparation Time:  30 minutes
Cooking Time:  20 minutes

To toast pine nuts, I put a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread the nuts on the paper, roast on 350 degrees for about 5 minutes or until they start to turn a light color. 

I used Penne pasta which was just as good.



The Guests of Honor, SnowPea and SweetPea