Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream
Roasted Tomato and Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream is an easy and delicious pasta dish that is a great use for homegrown tomatoes and basil in the summer or canned Italian tomatoes for the winter.
While my summer cooking is primarily consists of taking things out to my deck and using my grill, there are some things I have to have that require a bit of indoor cooking. We love pasta and this Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream is a favorite
I try to limit oven time to mornings though when the house is cool after a Colorado night where the temp always falls into the 60 degree range. That’s what I did when I made this dish last week. Mid-July in particular calls for judicious use of the oven; as in none!
I roasted the homegrown tomatoes (not mine sadly) in the morning and then finished the dish later in the day for dinner. If I wanted it for a side dish, I would have made dinner on my trusty Weber grill…worth every penny and a workhorse for me each summer.
While you might consider this Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream a dish perfect for winter; for me it’s a summer must have with fresh tomatoes and basil from the garden (yes the basil is from MY garden…I am on top of something!).
I’m growing some larger tomatoes in my garden this year so that I can roast a few more but at the moment I’m wondering the benefit of that effort. At least with cherry tomatoes I would be picking them now by the handfuls; I’m betting I have another month before the ones in my garden are ready.
Next year I am going to go crazy with grow lights and shelves in the basement and get a head start; I’ve done it before and I’m ready to try again. I love tomatoes so much and nothing compares to homegrown so I have to enjoy tons of them during the summer while I can.
Winter does mean canned tomatoes only and while they can be good…well, you know they’re not the same. Still I’ll use them to make this Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream dish if I’m craving it. If you do the same, just make sure to find a good brand of roasted tomatoes; once canned you don’t want to do the roasting.
I love that this is easy and uses mostly pantry and fridge ingredients you would typically have on hand; here’s what you’ll need (full recipe at end of post):
For the Roasted Tomatoes
- 3 large tomatoes
- Olive Oil
For the Pasta
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 1 lb Italian sausage cooked
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Roasted tomatoes, prepared in advance, chopped
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- White Pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream, more or less if desired
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
For Garnish
- Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Sweet Basil
You know what’s difficult sometimes? I made this Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream last week and had some friends here for dinner; we had pasta and garlic bread and that was it. It was devoured so no leftovers. Now I’m sad; having to put this post together and be reminded of how delicious it was makes getting it done difficult…I’m hungry!
I love serving up the food I make to neighbors but I’m thinking I always need to squirrel away at least one meal portion for myself in the freezer…right? I can be both pragmatic and generous!
I’m starving and I think what I have to look forward to tonight is a cheese and tomato sandwich. When made with summer tomatoes they are good but no, they are not the same as this Italian Sausage Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes…try it, you’ll see!
More of Our Favorite Pasta Dishes
- Parmesan Rosemary Couscous
- Pasta with Pumpkin and Mascarpone Sauce
- Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomato and Almond Pesto
- Bacon and Brussels Sprouts with Pasta
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta with Goat Cheese
- Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta with Ricotta and Toasted Walnuts
- Perfect Meatballs with Italian Sausage
- Tomato Sauce with Butter and Onion
- Green Spaghetti with Poblano Cream Sauce
PIN IT! ‘Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream’
Italian Sausage Pasta with Cream
Ingredients
For the Roasted Tomatoes
- 3 large tomatoes
- olive oil
For the Pasta
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage cooked
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1 medium sweet onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tomatoes Roasted, prepared in advance, chopped
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- White Pepper to taste
- ½ cup heavy cream more or less if desired
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese
For Garnish
- Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Sweet Basil
Instructions
To Roast the Tomatoes
- Preheat your oven to about 450 degrees F.
- Line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Put the tomatoes on top of the cookie sheet; drizzle lightly with olive oil.
- Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, it should start to char the outside of the tomatoes.
- Take tongs and flip the tomatoes over, cook for another 10 to 15 minutes. You want the outside to be charred and the tomatoes to soften but not get mushy.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the tomatoes to a ziploc bag. Seal it up and allow them to cool for about 30 minutes or so.
- Take the tomatoes out and peel off the charred skin. Remove the tops and chop the tomatoes roughly.
For the Pasta
- Cook your pasta in boiling, salted water according to the package minus one minute.
- Melt 2 Tbsp of butter in a large skillet. Add the onions and saute for about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the roasted tomatoes and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully transfer the ingredients to a food processor. Pulse until mixed but slightly chunky.
- Add the Italian sausage to the pan and cook until browned; drain any excess fat.
- Heat the remaining butter (2 tablespoons) in the same skillet over medium high heat, then transfer the ingredients from the food processor back into the pan with the cooked sausage, tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and cook until it all starts to bubble and come together while you stir.
- Add the heavy cream and stir to combine well.
- Drain pasta in a colander, reserving about ½ cup of pasta water and put the cooked pasta into your skillet. Continue to cook until all of the ingredients are mixed thoroughly. Add a little pasta water if necessary if the mixture is too thick.
This pasta recipe is a KEEPER! My mouth waters just thinking about it. Not only the adults loved it, but the grandkids (5 and 13) loved it, too. In fact they fought over the leftovers the next day. Thanks so much for sharing this dish.
Thank YOU Betty for taking the time to let me know you loved it too; it’s so nice to get feedback when I share something I love!
This looks delicious. Ive never tried italian sausage. Its not very common in our coutry but saw it in the supermarket the other day. I think i’ll give it a try…thanx for this.
Love pasta! One of those dishes we have at least once a week. This looks good — Italian sausage is so good, isn’t it? And heavenly with roasted tomatoes. Love the addition of the cream, too. Thanks!
I love it too John; I would struggle without my gluten! This one is so good with garden tomatoes; I almost cry when the last bite is gone. 🙂