A quick and easy pasta dish that tastes like it took a lot of time and effort, but didn’t is always something good to have handy. What I love about Italian Chicken Sausage Farfalle is that the flavourful sausages and the addition of red wine make this dish taste a lot more complicated than it actually is. It also feeds a lot of people, so this on a table alongside some bread and a vegetable or salad (if you can be bothered) is the perfect meal! If you’re only feeding yourself or a few, the leftovers warm up beautifully.
I used chicken sausages for this dish because I really love the Heck Chicken Italia Chipolatas, but you can use any chicken sausages you like or any other sausages for that matter. You could also absolutely subsitute chicken or turkey mince here if you prefer, but you might want to add some more herbs and seasoning since it will have significantly less flavour than the sausages.
I love farfalle for this recipe because of its sturdiness, but also for it’s grooved little crevices that hold the sauce so nicely. That said, this would be absolutely brilliant with pretty much any short pasta shape, especially orecchiette (little ears), conchiglie (shells), radiatore (radiators) or lumacone (snails).
There’s something really attractive about this dish. The sausages are chicken, but you can’t really tell. The meat takes on an almost beefy quality after cooking in the red wine and turns darker. The flavours are so lovely here as are the textures. This is pasta and it’s super easy to make, but yet it somehow feels special, especially when garnished with fresh torn basil leaves. Let’s get started!
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus another drop for the pasta water
- 1 echalion shallot, finely chopped
- Salt & pepper
- 340g Italian chicken sausages, skins removed and meat crumbled
- 1 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 250ml red wine
- 700g passata
- 500g farfalle pasta (bow ties) or other short pasta shape of your choice
- 150ml double cream
- Grated Parmesan cheese to serve
- Fresh basil leaves torn to serve (optional)
Method
- In a large pot that has a lid, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent.
- Add the crumbled sausage meat and the chilli flakes. Cook stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon for about 10 minutes or until the meat is browned all over.
- Increase the heat to high and pour in the red wine. Let this bubble away, stirring occasionally until it’s well reduced. While this is reducing, put a large pot of salted water with a drop or two of olive oil on high heat and bring to a boil.
- When the wine has reduced pour in the passata along with a little water sloshed in the jar to get the tomatoey dregs. Bring this to a boil and then reduce the heat to low or medium-low. Clamp the lid on and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. If at any time it gets too dry looking, add a little bit of water.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but be sure to check it a minute or two early to ensure you get the consistency you like – I prefer my pasta quite al dente. Before straining, remove a cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Strain the pasta and add it to the pot when the sauce is done simmering.
- Add the cream and stir to combine, adding a little of the pasta water to help the sauce bind to the little bow ties. Do this sparingly, a little at a time until you have a consistency you’re happy with and a glossy sauce clinging to each little piece of farfalle.
- Serve hot, sprinkled with fresh Parmesan cheese, torn fresh basil leaves and a crack of black pepper.
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