RecipeTin Eats’ creamy tomato sausage pasta is a time-poor cook’s dream

Name: RecipeTin Eats’ creamy tomato sausage pasta is a time-poor cook’s dream
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp cooking salt, for cooking pasta; 350g dry linguine pasta; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; ½ brown onion, finely chopped; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 500g Italian pork sausages, meat removed from casing – see note; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 400g can diced tomato; 250ml (1 cup) salt-reduced chicken stock; 1 tsp Italian seasoning (see note); ½ tsp chilli flakes; ½ tsp cooking salt; ¼ tsp black pepper; 250ml (1 cup) thickened cream; ¼ cup (25g) parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve; 100g (3 heaped cups) baby spinach

Whip up this inexpensive midweek pasta dish in double-quick time and pretend you’ve been labouring in the kitchen for hours.

RecipeTin Eats

August 29, 2023

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

I recently shared my recipe for slow-cooked sausage ragu with Good Food readers. The recipe takes full advantage of the extra seasonings already built into sausages to make a luxurious pasta sauce, rich with wine and herbs.

Sounds mouth-watering, doesn’t it? It also takes a good two hours to make!

Well, this is my midweek equivalent. It’s luscious and meaty and full of flavour. And you’ll have it on the table in 30 minutes flat.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

SOS checklist

Fewer than 12 ingredients (excluding oil, salt, pepper and water) ✔
Less than $20 for 4 servings ✔
Less than 30 minutes ✔

Ingredients

1 tbsp cooking salt, for cooking pasta
350g dry linguine pasta
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ brown onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
500g Italian pork sausages, meat removed from casing – see note
2 tbsp tomato paste
400g can diced tomato
250ml (1 cup) salt-reduced chicken stock
1 tsp Italian seasoning (see note)
½ tsp chilli flakes
½ tsp cooking salt
¼ tsp black pepper
250ml (1 cup) thickened cream
¼ cup (25g) parmesan cheese, finely grated, plus extra to serve
100g (3 heaped cups) baby spinach

Method

Step 1
Bring 3 litres of water to the boil in a large pot. Add the salt and linguine and cook according to the packet instructions.
Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large non-stick pan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes until soft.
Step 3
Add the sausage meat and cook until it’s no longer pink, breaking it up as you go. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, then add the canned tomato, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, chilli flakes and salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Mix in the cream and parmesan, stirring until the parmesan has melted. Then stir in the spinach and allow to wilt.
Step 4
When the pasta is cooked, drain and add to the pasta sauce. Toss until combined. Serve immediately, garnished with extra parmesan.

Notes

Use good-quality sausages speckled with chunks of meat and fat. Economical sausages that are a uniform pink colour have a place in this world, but not in this recipe!
Italian seasoning, a blend of dried herbs such as oregano, basil, thyme, sage and rosemary, is available at supermarkets.