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Plate of creamy sausage pasta with bread and butter on the side
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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Sausage Pasta

This Creamy Sausage Pasta is basically Zuppa Toscana pasta - packed with delicious sausage and bacon, tender kale and a garlic Parmesan cream sauce. It's easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but special enough for date night (and budget friendly too!).
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 5 people
Calories: 817kcal
Author: Myra

Ingredients

  • 1 lb linguine
  • 3 mild Italian sausages
  • 1/2 pkg bacon (around 200g)
  • 1 onion
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 4 cups kale (chopped into very small pieces)
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar (can sub 1/4 cup white wine instead if you want)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp salt (more or less, to taste, see notes)
  • 1 cup pasta water (divided) (reserved from when cooking pasta)
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped)

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta until just before it's al dente, following package directions.  Before draining, reserve a cup of pasta water.  Drain noodles and keep warm.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove ground sausage from casings by making a slit down the middle and pulling casing off.  Chop bacon into small pieces.  Fry both in skillet until brown.
  • While meat is cooking, dice onion and mince garlic.  Wash kale, strip leaves off tough centre stems and chop into small pieces.  Grate fresh Parmesan.
  • Remove sausage and bacon to a plate and drain off all but 1-2 tablespoons of oil from the skillet.  Add onion and saute for a few minutes until it softens.  Add garlic, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using) and cook for about 1 minute.
  • Slowly pour chicken broth and white wine vinegar (or wine) into skillet and use a wooden spoon to scrape browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. 
  • Add chopped kale, sausage and bacon to the skillet and cook for a few minutes - until kale turns bright green and wilts slightly.
  • Add linguine noodles, heavy cream and 1/2 cup of pasta water to the skillet (you might need to move everything to a larger pot, like the one you cooked the pasta in).  Toss everything together for several minutes over low heat, making a special effort to agitate the sauce and noodles.  If it needs more liquid, add another 1/2 cup of pasta water and mix very well to emulsify the cream sauce.
  • Remove from heat and stir in Parmesan cheese.  Taste for seasoning.  Add salt to taste.  I used one full teaspoon.  The flavours should be bright (if it tastes dull, you need more salt).
  • Serve immediately, garnishing with chopped fresh parsley, if using.
  • Enjoy! :)

Notes

This recipe, like all recipe needs salt.  How much salt will depend on your sausages, bacon and broth.  Start with 1/2 a teaspoon and give it a taste.  If the flavour seems muted, add another 1/2 tablespoon and mix well. 

Nutrition

Calories: 817kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Cholesterol: 123mg | Sodium: 1253mg | Potassium: 758mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6290IU | Vitamin C: 72.8mg | Calcium: 277mg | Iron: 3.1mg