Simple Pasta and Sausage with Oil & Garlic

What’s for dinner?

Hi everyone! Nelson here. I’m sure you’ve all experienced this before–it’s time to leave work and you have no idea what you’re going to make for dinner. The popular go-to response to that thought is… “well, maybe I’ll grab take-out on the way home”. Well, on this night, I just wasn’t in the mood for any of the options on my route home.

How about leftovers?

After visualizing the inside of my fridge, I remembered I had some leftover sausage from our last BBQ. Bonus! Now what to add to create a meal for the family? Pasta! But I didn’t have any homemade sauce and it would take too long to cook up a fresh batch. No sauce? No problem! We had fantastic olive oil, fresh garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh herbs.

Pasta? Well that’s easy!

I only made one stop on my way home… to the bakery for some fresh crusty bread. Once I got home, putting together the meal was quick and easy. Boil the fusilli, sauté the garlic and tomatoes in the oil, add the fusilli and remaining ingredients, and voilà! Quick and easy dinner.

I love meals like this; they’re easy, they cost very little, and the entire family is happy. From left-overs to a delicious new meal! Next time you’ve got your hand on the phone to order delivery, take one last peek inside your fridge… your next delicious meal may be sitting there waiting to be created in a snap. Don’t forget to use or re-use your leftovers, and always eat well, friends!

Fusilli and Italian Sausage with Oil & Garlic

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

20 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

This delicious fusilli and Italian sausage meal is something you might find at a nice restaurant, yet so simple you can easily make it at home. Molto buono!

Author: Nelson Cardoso

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Serves: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• Water to cook the pasta (I used about 4 litres)
• 1 Tbsp salt for the pasta water
• 500gr fusilli, imported from Italy (quality matters)
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 4 large cloves of garlic, diced thin (thin slivers)
• 2 cups cherry tomatos, cut in half
• 3 Italian sausages (BBQ'd or roasted and cut in thin wheels). We used leftover sausages
• ½ cup fresh Italian parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1 tsp red hot pepper flakes (add more or reduce depending on your taste)
• ½ cup white wine
• ¼ cup of the pasta water
• A little extra olive oil for drizzling
• Parmigiano Reggiano to shave over each portion of pasta

Instructions

1. In a large pot, bring the water and 1 Tbsp of salt to a boil.
2. Add the pasta and let cook for roughly 10 minutes. The pasta should be al dente.
3. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water aside.
4. Pour the pasta and water into a colander.
5. Once the water drains out, drizzle the pasta with a little olive oil and mix with a spoon.
6. Set the pasta aside.
7. In a large pan, heat the oil on medium.
8. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and stir.
9. Once the garlic starts to turn light brown, add the cherry tomatoes. Caution, the oil will splatter a little.
10. Stir the tomatoes.
11. Once the tomatoes start to heat up, press them down with a fork, to break them slightly.
12. Add the sliced sausages and stir.
13. Add the pasta, parsley flakes, salt and pepper.
14. Stir well to coat.
15. Once the pasta starts to heat up.add the wine and pasta water. Stir to coat well and let cook for about 5 minutes or until the liquid starts to reduce.
16. Plate your portions and shave fresh Parmigiana Reggiani over each dish along with a little drizzle of olive oil.

3.5.3208