Description
A vibrant and creamy Italian-inspired pasta recipe featuring sautéed sausage, zesty lemon, and a delicate blend of Parmesan and crème fraîche. This Saucy Sausage and Lemon Pasta combines rich flavors with a hint of heat from chili flakes, perfectly balanced by fresh parsley. Ideal for a comforting, flavorful weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 250g Dry Paccheri pasta (or your favourite pasta shape)
Meat
- 400g sausages or sausage meat
Vegetables & Herbs
- 2 shallots or 1 small brown onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
- 15g fresh parsley, chopped
Spices & Seasonings
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1-2 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 large lemon (zested and juiced)
Dairy
- 70g Parmesan cheese, grated
- 60ml Crème fraîche or double cream
Other
- 300ml reserved pasta water (approximately)
- Cooking oil (for frying)
Instructions
- Heat the pan: Place a large stainless steel or carbon steel frying pan over high heat until water flicked onto the surface skitters and dances.
- Add oil: Lower heat slightly and drizzle cooking oil into the pan.
- Cook sausage: Remove sausages from casings and crumble into the pan. Brown the sausage over 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally to develop a golden crust and build flavor.
- Prepare aromatics and pasta water: While sausage cooks, finely dice shallot/onion, slice garlic, chop parsley, and zest and juice the lemon. Bring a large pot of water to boil, using slightly less water than usual to create starchy pasta water.
- Sauté shallots and fennel: Add shallot and fennel seeds to the pan with sausage, cooking over medium-high heat until shallot softens, about 4-5 minutes.
- Cook pasta: Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions until very al dente.
- Add garlic, lemon zest, and chili: Stir in sliced garlic, lemon zest, and chili flakes into the sausage mixture. Cook for about 1 minute until garlic softens, then squeeze in lemon juice.
- Drain pasta: Drain pasta, reserving about 500ml of pasta water.
- Combine pasta with sauce: Add pasta to the pan with sausage mixture. Pour in 200ml reserved pasta water, crème fraîche, and Parmesan. Toss on low heat to melt cheese and combine sauce, adding more pasta water as needed until sauce is creamy and coats the pasta evenly.
- Season and serve: Taste and adjust seasoning by adding more lemon juice if desired. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the pasta and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use less water for boiling pasta to create starchier water that helps bind the sauce.
- Crème fraîche can be substituted with double cream for similar creaminess.
- For extra heat, increase chili flakes or add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- Paccheri pasta is traditional, but any tubular or ridged pasta will hold the sauce well.
- Reserve ample pasta water to adjust sauce consistency for a glossy finish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 19 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
