I love bulk Italian sausage. That’s why you will find it featured in several dishes on this site. It’s relatively inexpensive and the flavor just can’t be beat when it comes to a pasta recipe like this one. I’m even considering creating my own mix of herbs, spices, vegetables, and meats to help me better maintain control of the quality of ingredients used in the process of making Italian sausage. (I’ll publish the results if and when I figure it out!) But for now, I’m going to stick with the bulk sausage that is always available at our local IGA. Because, it’s affordable and dependably good. And they use enough fennel seed, which in my opinion should always be of utmost importance. But back to this recipe.

We were hungry for pasta the other evening, but I was short on time. So I threw this dish together and we both agreed that it was blog worthy. Now if you are new to this site, you need to know that I am picky about food. Not picky when it comes to trying new dishes, but picky about whether or not I would enjoy eating any new preparation again. If I have any doubts, you never hear about the recipe. If you find the recipe on this site, it’s because I look forward to eating the dish again. Of course as Mr. C. often remarks to friends, with me always trying new recipes, he may never have a new dish he loves prepared for him again. But such is the life of any spouse married to a recipe developer. With time he has learned to adapt. And starvation has never been a worry. But in all honesty, he will get a chance to enjoy this dish again because I truly loved it too. And it was easy to prepare.

So if you too would enjoy an easy to fix, relatively inexpensive new take on spaghetti in a creamy, meaty sauce, give this recipe a try. Make a simple salad to go with the pasta, open a nice bottle of wine, light a couple of candles, and sit back and enjoy the flavors all of us associate with lovely days and nights spent in a sunny clime. Cheers to Italy and all the flavors it has brought us. And cheers to you for all you do in the kitchen for your loved ones. Love and peace to all.

• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lb. bulk Italian sausage
• ½ onion, finely chopped  
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ tsp. dried oregano
• ½ tsp. Italian seasoning
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2 tsp. flour
• ½ c. white wine
• 1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes with juices (preferably Italian canned tomatoes)
• 2 T. tomato paste
• ½ c. whipping cream
• 8 lg. basil leaves, sliced (chiffonade*) 
• 8 oz. al dente spaghetti (reserve some of the cooking water)  
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil in a large covered pan. Add the sausage and cook until brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the onion and cook until soft. Don’t let the onion brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in the oregano, Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, a smidge of black pepper, and sugar.

Whisk in the flour and let burble for a couple of minutes. Whisk in the wine. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato paste. Cover the pan and gently simmer the sauce for about 15 minutes.

Stir in the whipping cream and cooked sausage. Adjust seasoning. Bring back to just under a boil. Just prior to serving, add the basil chiffonade and al dente pasta. Add some of the pasta water if the pasta seems dry. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

*Chiffonade (pronounced “shif-oh-nod”) is a knife technique used for cutting herbs and leafy vegetables such as lettuce into thin strips or ribbons. To chiffonade leaves of basil, stack the basil leaves and roll them into a tube. Then carefully cut across the end of the tube with a sharp knife to produce fine strips.