I accidentally made this pasta one night when I came home from work, a little late, and didn’t have enough time to make my usual marinara sauce.  I also didn’t have any red wine around…but luckily did have an already open bottle of sauvignon blanc.  I wouldn’t normally think to combine white wine and Italian sausage, but the Romans often combine guanciale with white wine to make an amatriciana sauce…so why not? 

The result is an easy weeknight pasta dish that just gets better as it sits in the refrigerator for a day or two.  It feels like cheating since the sauce doesn’t have to simmer all day to develop depth of flavor.  

The flavor in this pasta really comes from the Italian sausage.  If you are vegetarian, feel free to substitute with beyond sausage Italian sausage.  (I was shocked with how closely they have been able to replicate the flavor and texture of Italian sausage using only plant-based products.)  

Italian Sausage Pasta

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• Author: Christina
• Total Time: 55 minutes
• Yield: 12 servings 1x

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Description

The flavor in this pasta really comes from the Italian sausage.  If you are vegetarian, feel free to substitute with beyond sausage Italian sausage.  

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 Tbs olive oil
• 2 Tbs butter
• 1 tsp red pepper, optional
• 4 cups onion, chopped (about 2 large onions)
• 3 Tbs garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 1/2 pounds sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from its casing
• 2 28–ounce cans diced san Marzano tomatoes
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 cup fresh basil, chopped and loosely packed
• 1 Tbs sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 pound fettuccine or penne pasta, cooked
• 3 Tbs butter
• Pecorino Romano cheese, grated to sprinkle on top

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Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  
2. Add the onions as well as some salt to taste and cover.  Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic and red pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes.  
3. Add the white wine and cook another five minutes or so, allowing some of the wine sauce to reduce.
4. Add the Italian sausage and cook.  Make sure to break up the sausage into small pieces as it cooks.  After the sausage is cooked, add the tomatoes and tomato paste. 
5. Bring to a low boil and cook for about 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and add the basil and sugar.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.
6. Mix with 1 pound cooked penne and top with Pecorino Romano cheese.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Pasta
• Cuisine: Italianish

Keywords: pasta, Italian sausage, penne