Pasta alla Norcina (sausage pasta recipe)
This sausage and cream pasta recipe from Umbria is a very simple to make and has very few ingredients but it's so flavourful and creamy you’ll want to make it part of your regular pasta menu.
Servings: 4
Calories: 894kcal
Ingredients
- 14 oz penne or other short pasta
- 2-3 Italian pork sausages
- 1 onion white or yellow
- 1-2 black truffles I used 2 small ones (optional)
- 7 fl oz fresh cream
- ½ glass white wine
- 2 oz pecorino cheese grated
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl, remove the casings from the sausages and crumble the meat. Discard the casings and bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta.
- In a large frying pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened. Add the crumbled sausage to the pan. Cook until browned, breaking any large pieces with a spatula.
- Add white wine, stirring constantly, and cook until the wine has mostly evaporated, about 2 minutes.
- Lower the heat, cover, and simmer the sausage for 10 minutes in its juices. Season with salt and pepper.
- Uncover, add fresh cream and truffle shavings (if using), along with half of the grated pecorino cheese. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly, then remove from heat.
- Meanwhile, salt the pasta water and bring it to the boil again. Then, cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions. Reserve some cooking water before draining.
- Add the drained pasta to the sausage sauce, mixing over low heat. If needed, adjust the consistency with reserved pasta water.
- Plate the pasta, topped with the remaining pecorino, fresh black pepper, and more truffle shavings if desired.
Notes
Traditionally this recipe is served with short pasta such as penne or rigatoni. I used Italian maccheroni.
The original recipe is made with Norcia sausage but a good Italian pork sausage would work well too. I would try to find sausage without fennel but with garlic if possible, or rosemary.
Black truffles are often added when they are in season but this dish is often made without. Truffle oil isn't a great substitute in this recipe as it may smother the other flavours. But you could try a little or some truffle paste.
Nutrition
Calories: 894kcal | Carbohydrates: 80g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 22g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 583mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 792IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 205mg | Iron: 2mg