Pasta with sausage, pesto and cherry tomatoes from Made Simple
Check out this great recipe from Made Simple by Danielle Alvarez.
My partner Dan and I had a pasta like this at a little roadside restaurant in Sicily near Noto. It was the only pasta on the menu – and now I know why. It was insanely delicious and so memorable that I can still taste it in my mind when I think about it. The basil was crushed into a pesto with a hint of garlic, and the cherry tomatoes were roasted so they were just bursting but still remained fresh. The mix of the browned fatty sausage meat, the fresh basil and the umami tomatoes was just a perfect combination. I think you’ll also be transported to the Italian countryside when you eat this. Buon appetito!
Serves 4
4 cups (45 g) packed basil leaves (about 2 bunches)
1 garlic clove, peeled
1⁄2 cup (50 g) finely grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
75 ml (21⁄2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) cherry tomatoes salt and black pepper
400 g (14 oz) Italian sausages fennel and garlic ones are my favourite!)
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) dried casarecce, strozzapreti or fusilli lunghi
Preheat your oven to 240°C (475°F) conventional (220°C/425°F fan-forced). Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
Meanwhile, in a small food processor or blender, combine the basil leaves, garlic clove, parmesan and ¼ cup (60 ml) of the olive oil and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Place your tomatoes in a small roasting tin and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Roast for 10–15 minutes, until they are bursting and their skins are beginning to brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Remove the meat from the sausage casings. Place your sausage meat in a large saucepan set over high heat, breaking the meat up with a spoon or spatula. Cook for about 10 minutes, until browned. If your sausage meat is extra fatty, you can pour off and discard some of the fat, if you prefer.
While the sausage meat browns, cook your pasta in the boiling water until ‘al dente’, using the timing suggested on the packet as a guide. Reserve about 1 cup (250 ml) of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the cooked sausage meat, along with the basil pesto and roasted tomatoes and toss and cook together, still over high heat, for about a minute.
Add some of the pasta water, little by little, to make it all glossy and to ensure everything coats the pasta. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and black pepper as needed.
Divide the pasta among bowls, sprinkle with extra parmesan and black pepper and serve.
Made Simple
by Danielle Alvarez
The very best in home cooking without the fuss, with over 80 recipes for simple perfection – from the acclaimed chef, home cook, columnist and cookbook author Danielle Alvarez.
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