This recipe comes from Ina Garten’s recent book, Cooking for Jeffrey.
Her recipe calls for rigatoni , but I substituted rotini since I was out of rigatoni.
It is simple, quick to make and freezes well. If frozen, defrost in refrigerator, then reheat in microwave or warm in oven.
If making one day ahead: Spoon the pasta into gratin dishes, sprinkle with Pecorino or Parmesan, and refrigerate for up to one day. Bake for 20 minutes 375 degrees.
Fennel and sausage marry together so well. And when tossed in this light creamy sauce with just a hint of tomato, and a little spice from the crushed pepper flakes it’s really heavenly.
Pasta with Sausage and Fennel
(adapted from Rigatoni with Sausage and Fennel, Ina Garten)
Ingredients
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3 cups chopped fennel(1 large bulb)
1 and ½ cups chopped yellow onion
1 and ¼ pounds sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
½ teaspoon whole fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup heavy cream
2/3 cup half-and-half
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 pound rigatoni, rotini, fusilli or other short pasta (Ina likes De Cecco)
½ cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided (or Parmesan)
To Cook
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat.
Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned.
Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for 1 minute.
Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste.
Bring back to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the pasta according to package directions.
Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta.
Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce.
Off the heat, stir in the parsley and ½ cup of the cheese.
Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining cheese on the side.
