This pasta recipe is a staple for me – it’s one of my personal favourites and it’s so easy to make. While I love to make this recipe it regularly at home, it’s also great to cook in an Airbnb or at someone else’s house because it doesn’t require too much in the way of specialist equipment and the ingredients can be found almost anywhere.
Of course you can use Italian sausages if you like, but I love to use Cumberland sausages for this recipe. The peppery flavour of Cumberland sausages is just perfect in this sauce. That said, if you’re reading this from outside the UK or not a fan of Cumberland sausages, you can use any link sausage you prefer. Get creative and try something new. I have tried this recipe with several types of sausages and it’s never been anything short of deliciously satisfying.
You will see that I’ve included a tablespoon of sugar in the sauce, which I find cuts the acidity of the tomato quite a bit while giving it a tiny touch of sweetness, but if you’re opposed to sugar for any reason, you can absolutely cut this out. It won’t make too much of a difference. Let’s get started!
Serves 2-3
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons of regular olive oil plus more for the pasta water
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- Pinch of chilli flakes
- 400g Cumberland sausages (or other sausages of your choice)
- 150ml white wine
- 500g passata
- 1 tablespoon caster sugar or granulated sugar (optional)
- 7-10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped plus more for garnish
- 250g orecchiette pasta (alternatively you could use either conchiglie or fussilli)
- Sea salt flakes & freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Method
- Split the sausage casings lengthwise and remove the meat. Discard the casings and crumble the sausage meat.
- In a spacious pan or casserole that will hold everything later, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic & chilli flakes and cook for about 1 minute stirring occasionally, taking care not to burn it and adjusting the heat if necessary.
- Add the crumbled sausage meat to the pan and stir to incorporate. Continue cooking while stirring occasionally until it looses its pinkness.
- When the sausage is no longer pink, increase the heat to medium-high and pour in the white wine. Let this sizzle away, stirring occasionally until it’s completely reduced to almost nothing.
- Add the passata and the caster sugar (or granulated sugar if that’s what you have) and stir to combine. Bring this to a bubble and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the sauce uncovered, stirring occasionally for at least 15 minutes. The sauce should thicken and reduce a little.
- Meanwhile, you can get moving with the pasta. Bring a pot of salted water with a drizzle of olive oil to boiling and cook the pasta according to packet instructions, checking it 2-3 minutes before it should be done. I like to cook it until it’s just a little too al dente because it’s going into the hot sauce for a few minutes after straining. Reserve a cup of the pasta cooking water and strain it. Set it aside until you need it again.
- When the sauce has been simmering for 15 minutes, add the chopped mint and stir well. Cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Add the pasta to the sauce while still on the heat. Stir to coat all of the pasta. If the sauce is a little too dry, you can add the pasta water a little at a time until it reaches the consistency you’re happy with. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Leave this on the heat for a minute or two and then it’s done.
- Serve the pasta hot, preferably in pasta bowls if you have them, sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnished with a mint leaf or two (optional).
