Unlike the previous savoury recipe, this one’s a cinch to make because the idea for this Sausage Meat Pasta came to me when we were on holiday (I can’t remember where) and tired of eating out. Luckily, we had a small kitchenette,some kitchen supplies and essentials like olive oil, salt and pepper and a supermarket nearby. So, with as little ingredients and fuss-free as possible, this pasta comes together in under 30 minutes and probably goes down even faster. This quick spin on the traditional Bolognese pasta is sure to please everyone.
Though short on ingredients, the flavour is still somewhat good as sausage meats are already well-flavoured and browning the meat adds depth of flavour to the mat sauce. I chose to use meat sausages instead of minced meat as fresh sausages are more easily available than minced meat in Kiwi supermarkets. Any type of fresh sausages work for this dish but just choose ones that have a bit of fat in them and I do find that free-range sausages have much better flavour. The herbs enhance the rich and unctuous meat-tomato sauce and I like garnishing my pasta with a few thyme leaves to add a burst of freshness in each bite. You could use any fresh herbs you have at hand but try to copy the flavours of your sausage. Since I was using Spanish Chorizo I added about 1/2 teaspoonful of smoked paprika with the tomatoes for an extra kick. Sage, oregano or marjoram also work well. Of course, use fresh pasta if available in your supermarket but by all means you use any type of pasta that works well with thick meat sauces. The meat sauce freezes well so make a double batch and freeze in airtight containers for a quick, homemade weeknight meal. All you need to do is to just cook the pasta, reheat the sauce and hey presto, dinner is served!
The browned meat and chunky tomato sauce clings onto the pasta so well that every mouthful is pretty awesome, considering that you made this in 30 minutes! I’ve made this many times after that holiday meal when I’ve needed a comforting, quick meal after a gruelling workout or because its winter. Make this quick version of Bolognese pasta this weekend because, let’s face it – who doesn’t like a bowl of delicious pasta?
Sausage Meat Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp + 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 6 meat sausages ,about 400-500g ( I used Spanish Chorizo), removed from their casings
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (400g) of whole tomatoes in juice
- 1 cup of chicken/beef stock
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
- 400g fresh pasta sheets, cut into inch wide strips or any dried pasta that holds meat sauces well (eg. pappardelle, penne, rigatoni etc.)
- salt and pepper, to taste
- extra virgin olive oil
- Parmigiano-Reggiano/Grana Padano/ Pecorino, finely grated
Directions
- In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat and add the sausage meat and with a ladle/wooden spoon, break up any chunks of meat. Cook till the meat turns brown.
- Transfer browned meat into a bowl/plate.
- In the same pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the diced onions with a pinch of salt and sauté till they become translucent.
- Add minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute or till the garlic starts to soften.
- Add stock and the whole can of tomatoes with its juices into the pan. Using your ladle/spoon, break the whole tomatoes into medium-large chunks. If you prefer a very smooth sauce, purée the tomatoes and juices with a handheld blender before adding to the pan.
- Loosen any brown bits clinging to the side of the pan. Add thyme and/or rosemary sprigs to sauce and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes. Check for seasoning and add salt/pepper if required.
- Meanwhile, cook the freshly cut pasta/dried pasta in a large pot with salted water.
- When pasta is cooked but is still firm when bitten (al dente), return browned meat to pan with tomato sauce. Using a slotted spoon, drain pasta and add directly to pan with meat sauce. Add a few spoonfuls of cooked pasta sauce into tomato-meat sauce to loosen it. How much you add depends on how thick you like your meat sauce.
- Finely grate some cheese and toss pasta to evenly coat with meat sauce.
- Transfer to serving dish and top with more finely grated cheese , drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil and tear up some fresh thyme leaves and scatter on top.
- Enjoy with a glass of red wine. I like mine with a Pinot Noir. A bowl of side salad also helps. Cheers!
I’m bringing this dish to the Fiesta Friday Party #86 co-hosted by Judi and Quinn.
What a lovely post. I’m sold! This truly is autumn comfort food at it’s best. Gorgeous photographs.
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Thanks Seana! 🙂
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2 cloves garlic, minced: In Italy we do not use garlic with onions to prepare sausage meat.
The so-called “soffritto” for the famous “ragù di carne alla bolognese” is made of onion, carrot and celery. Olive Oil and a little bit of butter (30-50 gr.). And the meat must cook low heat for min. two hours. But I am curious and will try your version 😀
And I suggest you the italian DOC red wines “Gutturnio” or “Sangiovese”.
Ciao
Sid
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Thanks Sid for your food & wine suggestions! My recipe was not the traditional bolognese. It’s a quick pasta recipe that isn’t short on flavour so I used garlic 🙂
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And I will try it for sure as I like garlic very much and as this sausage meat is quick and gourmand 😀
Also the idea of using Spanish Chorizo (that I never eat) intrigues me. I’ll let you know about my experiment!
Ciao
Sid
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Sounds good! Can’t wait !
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Looks delicious – as you said sausage meat provides so much great flavor, all you need is a sauce, some cheese and good pasta. Pappardelle is one of my favorite pastas to cook with. Thanks for bringing this great entree to Fiesta Friday 🙂
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Thanks Judi! Thanks for having me there 🙂
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Pasta to the rescue!! That’s my busy-day motto 😀 And of course, sausages. I always, always have both in my pantry or fridge. And a wedge of Parmesan. What more do you need, right?!
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You’re absolutely right, Angie! Pasta always seems to save the day when I’ve no idea what to cook.
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I love sausage in dishes, and we are pasta lovers! Congratulations on being featured on FF!
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Thank you Julie!
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This looks so good!
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Thank you Anjana!
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Beautiful post! Love your gorgeous photos!
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Thanks Naina! Your photos are gorgeous too:)
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Jamie Oliver does quick and easy meatballs using sausage meat squeezed out of the casing, but I never thought of using it as a mince substitute as well; yum yum 🙂
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Thanks Sakthi! I’ve tried making meatballs with this recipe and it is equally delicious but it takes slightly longer to cook/brown the meatballs. I’ve to hunt down that Jamie O’s recipe that you mentioned.
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I can have pasta everyday and specially the ones that’s not loaded with tomato sauce. Like this one! You got me hungry girl 🙂
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Thanks Kankana! I love pasta too, especially when I need a meal immediately.
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Hi there! We have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger Award! Details are on our most recent post. This pasta looks absolutely delicious, will have to try it soon! Keep up the good work!
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Hi Elizabeth! How do I view the post?
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Here is a link! https://wordpress.com/post/18770384/1389/
🙂
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Elizabeth, the link isn’t working. It takes me to a blank wordpress post page
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Strike that, this one… http://thecheesefarm.com/2015/10/06/versatile-blogger-award-and-our-50th-post/ 😀
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Now THIS is comfort food, lovely. Is that lasagna pasta that you sliced up? I love how its so thick.
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Spot on, Sofia! I couldn’t find the right fresh pasta as the supermarket only had lasagna sheets. 🙂
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Ufff!!! I just had a very big dinner and thought that i am full!! Now i reconsider! Shops are still open 🙂 I would love to cook this Pasta now!! And what an amazing blog!
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Thanks Micheal ! Hope you had your fill of pasta that day.
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