Pasta Senese

This classic Italian pasta dish is a combination of walnuts, sausage and cream. It may seem like an odd flavor combination, but together they create a wonderfully savory and aromatic experience (not to mention a fantastic texture!).

To lighten things up you can replace some of the cream with cashew cream. As well, a handful of fresh herbs will add a light freshness that will balance out the heaviness of the sauce.

Cooking the nuts with the sausage infuses them with a rich flavor, and softens them. Make sure the nuts are chopped similar in size to what the crumbled sausage would be – this is the key to achieving the perfect texture in this dish.

Boil the noodles until done to your likeness.

Once the sausage is fully cooked, add in the liquids and allow them to reduce to a thick sauce.

Pasta Senese

Marla Hingley

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Servings 5

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb GF Italian sweet sausage casings removed
• 1 cup walnut halves chopped
• ½ onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• ¼ lb GF pancetta or bacon finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp rosemary chopped
• ¼ cup brandy or white wine
• 1 cup light cream*
• 2 Tbsp fresh sage chopped
• ¼ cup fresh Italian parsley chopped

Instructions

 

• Boil pasta until done to your likeness.
• In a large skillet add sausage and walnuts, breaking up sausages as it cooks. Once browned, add onion, garlic, and pancetta, cooking until tender.
• Stir in brandy, once it reduces after about 30 seconds, stir in the cream and lower heat and let simmer and reduce slightly.
• If sauce thickens too much, stir in a bit of the pasta water. Add remaining fresh herbs and toss with pasta.

Notes

To lighten things up you can replace some of the cream with cashew cream. As well, adding more (fresh) herbs will add a light freshness that will balance out the heaviness of the sauce.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!