Pasta is always a great weeknight meal, especially when it can all be done in one skillet. One of the easiest and richest is an Alfredo. This cheese based sauce is quite simple to make, and is packed with delicious Parmesan flavor. I’ve paired it this time with some Italian sausage for the meat, and farfalle as the pasta. The sausage alfredo is garnished with some chopped basil, paprika, and some sprouts this dish is sure to please anybody you make it for.
Alfredo sauce is one of the most popular sauces in Italian cooking and was invented by Alfredo de Lilio in 1907 in Rome at his mother’s restaurant. It is comprised of three main ingredients, all of which are dairy. Heavy cream, Butter, and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
Traditionally this sauce is paired with Fettuccini for a fettuccini alfredo, but luckily we live in a world with free will, so why not pair it with farfalle pasta this time.
Earlier this week I posted a Shrimp Alfredo using radiatori pasta, however that sauce was a bit thinner as I didn’t want the cheese to overpower the shrimp. This time it is more traditional, and pairs well with the fat from the Italian sausage.
Sausage Alfredo Ingredients
2 cups Farfalle. Of course you can use any type of pasta you want, this is just what is featured in this recipe.
2 links Italian Sausage.
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano; grated. You can also use Gran Padano or Pecorino as they are similar hard cheeses that also go well in this sauce.
3 tbsp Butter. Usually I would even add more, but as the sausage renders a lot of fat as it cooks I didn’t use as much butter this time.
3 tbsp Flour. Any flour is ok, I used regular AP. It’s used as a thickening agent in the beginning when we make a roux but you can leave it out if you want a more runny sauce.
1 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Salt. As the sausage and cheese are already quite salty you really don’t need much salt at all. In fact you can leave this out and only use salt for the pasta water.
1/2 tsp Paprika; for finishing
1 tsp Basil; chopped. Garnish.
Sausage Alfredo Instructions
1. Peel the casing off the Italian sausages and break off chunks with your fingers. Drop into a skillet on medium. While letting this brown, start boiling a pot of salted water for the pasta.
2. When the sausage has browned lower the heat and add in the butter and the flour and whisk to combine. When there are no flour bits left, pour in the heavy cream while still whisking. If the water is boiling, add the pasta now. It should take 6-7 minutes for al dente.
3. Add the salt, pepper, and cheese to the saucepan and keep stirring. Let this sauce thicken while the pasta is cooking.
4. Once the pasta is done, add 2 tbsp of pasta water to the saucepan and stir it in. Drain the pasta and add the pasta to the saucepan as well. Toss to coat.
5. Plate, dust with some paprika and chopped basil and serve hot.
Notes
You can thin the sauce if you like by adding some milk, and not adding the flour.
If you want to make this vegetarian, just omit the sausage.
Sausage Alfredo
Ingredients
- 2 cups Farfalle
- 2 Italian Sausage Links
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Parmigiano Reggiano
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Basil chopped
Instructions
- Peel the casing off the Italian sausages and break off chunks with your fingers. Drop into a skillet on medium. While letting this brown, start boiling a pot of salted water for the pasta.
- When the sausage has browned lower the heat and add in the butter and the flour and whisk to combine. When there are no flour bits left, pour in the heavy cream while still whisking. If the water is boiling, add the pasta now. It should take 6-7 minutes for al dente.
- Add the salt, pepper, and cheese to the saucepan and keep stirring. Let this sauce thicken while the pasta is cooking.
- Once the pasta is done, add 2 tbsp of pasta water to the saucepan and stir it in. Drain the pasta and add the pasta to the saucepan as well. Toss to coat.
- Plate, dust with some paprika and chopped basil and serve hot.
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