This dish is wonderfully simple and richly flavorful. If it has a name, I don’t know what it is, but I have seen versions of this in various places over the years. Sometimes, you can find sausage meat without the casings in the supermarket, but usually you’ll have to slice open a sausage and remove the casing. Because the sausage is already seasoned, you don’t need to add any spices—even the onion is optional. But the final garnish with chopped basil is important. This sauce is best on a textured pasta like farfalle or rigatoni or penne. Maybe a pappardelle, but not spaghetti.
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What you need
Italian sausage (half a pound or so)Peeled or crushed tomatoes, 1 can or carton
Onion, chopped, about a third cup
Cream, about 1 1/2 to 2 pints
Olive oil
Butter
Basil, fresh
How you make it
If using regular sausage, remove the casing from two or three sausages and chop them up a bit.
Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a tablespoon or two of butter to a pot.
Add the onion and sauté for two or three minutes.
Add the sausage and sauté until browned, breaking up the larger pieces with the back of a spoon.
If using whole tomatoes, chop them up and and discard the liquid.
Add the the chopped or crushed tomatoes and the cream to the sausage and simmer on low until thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked pasta and serve topped with chopped fresh basil. A bit of grated cheese is optional.
Buon appetito!
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