Description
Creamy Calabrian Chili Pappardelle delights with bold Italian flavors, blending spicy sausage and aromatic fennel in a luxurious sauce. Pasta lovers will savor each twirled bite of this comforting, zesty dish that brings Mediterranean warmth to your table.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 1 lb raw mild Italian pork sausage
- 1 lb DeLallo Egg Pappardelle
- 1 (24 oz) jar tomato puree
- 1 cup heavy cream
Vegetables and Aromatics:
- 2 small fennel bulbs, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons DeLallo Calabrian Chili Peppers
Liquids, Fats, and Seasonings:
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- olive oil, as needed
- freshly cracked black pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a rolling boil at high heat, preparing for pasta cooking.
- Heat olive oil in a stainless steel pan over medium-high temperature. Add sausage, breaking into smaller pieces and seasoning with salt. Cook until browned, approximately 5 minutes. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon, keeping pan drippings.
- Reduce heat to medium and melt butter in the same pan. Add diced onion and fennel, cooking for 8 minutes while stirring frequently until caramelized and tender.
- Drop pappardelle into boiling water, stirring to prevent sticking. Cook until al dente according to package instructions.
- Incorporate minced garlic into vegetable mixture, sautéing for 30 seconds. Mix in tomato paste and Calabrian chili paste, cooking for an additional minute. Deglaze pan with white wine, allowing it to reduce for 2 minutes.
- Add tomato puree, heavy cream, oregano, and reserved sausage to the pan. Stir thoroughly. Reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water. Simmer sauce on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour sauce over pasta, tossing to combine. Gradually fold in parmesan cheese until melted and sauce coats pasta evenly. Adjust sauce consistency using reserved pasta water if needed.
- Taste and season with additional salt. Plate pasta and garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and extra parmesan cheese. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- Choose sturdy pasta like pappardelle to hold the rich, creamy sauce perfectly without breaking apart during mixing.
- Reserve extra pasta water as a secret weapon for adjusting sauce consistency, helping create a silky, clingy texture that coats each noodle beautifully.
- Caramelize vegetables slowly to develop deep, sweet undertones that elevate the entire dish’s flavor profile, transforming simple ingredients into something extraordinary.
- Swap sausage with plant-based alternatives like crumbled tempeh or Beyond Meat for a vegetarian version that maintains the recipe’s robust and hearty character.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 750
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 920 mg
- Fat: 40 g
- Saturated Fat: 20 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 70 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg