Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta

Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta

A couple weeks ago, I visited the greatest little Italian deli and market in Hoboken, NJ called M & P Biancamano (check them out on Facebook). My girlfriend wanted to stop in as Biancamano is her last name and had wanted to visit for years but just hadn’t. The store is fantastic and my senses were on overload as soon as we walked in the door.  

The refrigerated case contained the makings of a feast. What caught my eye immediately was the fresh pasta, straight out of Italy, from a town near where the store’s owner’s family immigrated from. I took home the Fusilli Calabresi from I Sapori Del Vallo and the milkiest, softest, most melt-in-your-mouth fresh Mozzarella I’ve had. The cheese is made in house, every day using a very traditional method – it’s worth a visit to the store just for a taste of it.

M & P Biancamano

When I got home, I debated how to use the fabulous pasta and thought the yellow tomato sauce with lots of fresh basil I’d made with my own crop of tomatoes would be a suitable pairing. I also incorporated some heat with spicy Italian sausage meat that I sautéed until it had crispy bits in my cast iron pan – YUM! Any old marinara sauce could do, but fresh is best. I included my easy marinara recipe below which uses Roma tomatoes, but this recipe used yellow instead of red.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh pasta, ideally tubular like a fusilli or penne
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed and torn into bite-size pieces
• 1 ½ cups Basil Packed Marinara Sauce (or store-bought)
• ½ tsp. each salt, pepper (can use red pepper flakes instead of pepper if you’d like more heat)
• ½ cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. 

   Fresh Pasta

   Cook pasta 1 minute less than recommended on the packaging (pasta will continue to cook in the sauce).

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the sausage pieces and cook until no longer pink, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pan runs dry, add a drizzle of olive oil.
3. Add the marinara sauce to the sausage and cook for 3 minutes, until the sauce has evaporated a bit and is thicker, stirring a few times.
4. Add the pasta and cook for 2 minutes, tossing so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the skillet.
5. Add the salt and pepper, stir to incorporate and turn off the heat.
6. Serve with a grating of Parmesan. I served this dish right in the pan, family style.

Serves 4.