Ricotta and Sausage Pasta

5 from 12 votes

Some of the most incredible Ricotta and Sausage Pasta you'll ever have! This creamy sausage pasta is perfection for fall or winter!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

1 lb pappardelle pasta
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian fennel sausage, casings removed
1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
2 leeks, halved, trimmed, white parts only, and sliced
½ cup white wine
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 cup chicken stock
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup fresh ricotta
¼ cup torn fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

To make the sauce:

Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Break the sausage into small pieces and add to the pan along with the fennel and leeks. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to continue to break up the sausage into bite sized pieces. Add the wine, shallots, garlic and thyme. Cook until the wine is reduced by about half, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth and butter and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes until the liquid has reduced by half.

Meanwhile

While the sauce is reducing, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta water and the pasta to the sauté pan with the sauce. Toss until the sauce coats the pasta, about 30 seconds.
Transfer to a large serving bowl, top with dollops of the ricotta and the parsley and toss to combine. Sprinkle the Parmesan on top and serve.

Notes

If you aren't doing it yet, I highly recommend the habit of always reserving some pasta cooking water before draining. It is the perfect way to finish off any sauce you want to serve.

Nutrition