This penne pasta comes together so quickly that it could easily be a mid-week, just-got-home-from-work dinner. But it also has a ton of Sunday supper potential. This sauce, sitting on the stove, going low and slow and filling the house with lots of warm basil and tomato smells. Yes…that’s the kind of Sunday I want to have. This penne pasta came together because I had three fat links of spicy Italian sausage, an open bottle of Pinot, cans of tomato sauce + diced tomatoes and dried pasta in the cupboard…and zero idea what to make for dinner. I hope it becomes your new favorite pasta recipe. The bulk of today’s post will be this recipe and then down below, I have some other recipe suggestions for your week.
For this penne pasta, I want you to think options… If you don’t have burrata, use fresh mozzarella…if you don’t have either, forget it. Most of the ingredients are shoved somewhere in your cupboard. I threw in some fresh tomatoes from my garden just because I had them…no need to follow suit unless you’re feeling it. Lastly, this is a pasta sauce that would work with most any pasta shape. We thought penne would be delicious, but let your freak flag fly.
Keeping it short and sweet today. I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!
Italian Sausage + Burrata Penne Pasta
Makes 6 Main-Course Servings
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 ounces spicy Italian sausage (you could use sweet as well), taken out of the casing and broken up
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 cup red wine (make it good)
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 cup finely shredded parmesan, plus more for serving
- 6 ounces fresh burrata or fresh mozzarella
- 1 fistful of fresh basil leaves for garnish
- 16 ounces of dry penne pasta*
- 1 cup of reserved pasta water
*I went for the full box of penne pasta so that we’d have lots of leftovers. I like that in a mid-week meal. Feel free to use less and have more sauce per serving.
*TIP: Always freeze your leftover Parmesan rind and throw it in pasta sauce while it simmers. If you have any, it would be excellent to use in this sauce.
*The combination of sausage + parmesan in this sauce makes it salty enough for me, without needing to add more. Taste it at the very end of cooking, after you’ve added the parmesan, and carefully add small bits if needed.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Put a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. At the same time also put a large pot of salted water over high heat for the pasta.
- Put the sausage in the dutch oven and break it up into the smallest pieces possible. I like lots of small sausage bites rather than large clumps.
- Once browned, add the chopped onions and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring the pan the entire time so that it doesn’t burn.
- Add 1/2 cup of wine to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to get up any brown bits. Let the wine reduce and cook down for about 4-5 minutes. This would be an excellent time to pause and pour yourself a glass.
- Add in the diced tomatoes (squeezing them as you put them in to break them up a bit), the tomato sauce, oregano + sea salt. Fill one of the empty tomato cans 1/4 up with water (so about 1/4 cup of water) and add to the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions and drain, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water liquid.* Set aside.
- Stir 1 cup of finely grated parmesan into the pasta sauce, then add the pasta. Stir to coat everything. Break up your burrata so that it lays in chunks around the pasta and throw some fresh basil about for good measure. If you’re feeling especially ambitious you could shove the whole mess under the broiler for about a minute to bronze up the burrata. If that’s the case, throw the basil on after broiler time.
- Make sure to pour an extra large glass of red wine tonight…that’s the whole reason we put it in the sauce…so that you can have some too. And it would be a shame to let an entire bottle go to waste. Just saying…
*Use the pasta water to thin the sauce, if necessary, or add a small bit to your leftovers to keep things nice and moist in there.
Meal Planning | week three
Other meals to consider:
We’re also eating these Quinoa Turkey Burgers this week. We love them and like to eat them without buns. We’re feeling healthy…this is good.
Skirt steak is great for throwing together a quick meal and I would love to try this marinade. A salad on the side and you’re done.
You have to make something sweet (that’s mandatory in our house) and I can’t recommend last week’s Strawberry Cardamom Torte enough. It’s basically a tea cake that comes together in under ten minutes and spends about 45-50 minutes in the oven. This week I’m making it with fresh figs…and vanilla bean…and I can’t wait.
I watched What’s Gaby Cooking make this on Snapchat. This is probably the easiest thing ever…perfect for when you have to eat but don’t want to lift a finger. Definitely don’t use chicken breasts with this recipe…thighs would come out much better.
On My Mind
- FAVORITE FALL RECIPES: Petite Pumpkin Scones, Pecan + Tart Cherry Granola, Giant Chocolate Chip Cookies (one of my favorites!), Fresh Fig + Pecan Fall Salad, Thai Thai Scones and Breakfast Crack Cookies.
- I made this Apple Streusel Tart With Granola Crust over the weekend. I didn’t feel like making a proper tart crust, so I ground up some granola and treated it like a graham cracker crust. Life changing. I’m working on this recipe for us…because we need tarts to be easier. Sometimes. Am I right?
- I got the Small Victories cookbook by Julia Turshen and I’m OBSESSED!!! It’s completely unfussy with easily had ingredients. I love it.
- My California Strawberry Commission takeover went great — thanks to all of you that hopped over, commented and liked!
- This weekend has been about sitting and staring at the garden, making chai spiced granola (so I can work on that tart crust) and relaxing. The start to this fall feels decidedly less hectic than previous ones. Is anyone else feeling this?
- Be sure to tag @displacedhousewife + #displacedhousewife if you make this pasta so I can see your creations.
- PS My aunt gave me that pretty tomato Staub in the photos and I’ve been dying to use it. Cute, right?
- Have a wonderful start to your week!! Sending lots of love and well wishes!
–Rebecca xoxo
I so want to inhale this pasta! (And trust me, that’s not a pretty sight!) But basically, I need this in my life! :)
You do!!!! It’s SO GOOOOODDDD!!!! xoxoxo
this is sunday. period. the end. pasta, tomatoes, red wine, burrata. sigh.
All of my favorite things!!! xox
I love the simplicity of this pasta…. and burrata is my fav cheese ;) so good!!
You and me both!! Love it!!! xox
Sounds like the perfect Sunday (or any day, really) to me! So many good things going on and burrata??? YUMMMMMMM
Burrata makes everythingggggg better!!! xoxo
Keep these easy recipes coming! This is exactly what I need this fall with all the activities my kids have going on. They have a better social life than I do! Love the addition of red wine here for some rich flavor. Have a great week!
I feel the same way!!! Thank you Karen!!! xoxo
Dinner doesn’t get any better than this Rebecca! Looks incredibly delicious!! And can’t wait for that apple tart with the granola crust! YUM!
Thank you Mary Ann!!! I’m hoping to muster some Sunday energy to work on that tart some more!! xo
This pasta looks absolutely delicious Rebecca! I love the idea of the pools of milky burrata melting into the warm pasta. Drool.
Thanks Alida!!! I wanted something that was quick and easy but that looked and tasted delicious!! xoxo