Spaghetti with Sausage and Ricotta Sauce
Region: Italy
Category: Pasta with Sausage
Season: Any
Difficulty: Easy and Quick

Although I often make my own Italian sausages I also rely heavily on store-bought sausages.  This can be a dicey affair though.  I've had everything from ghastly supermarket Italian sausages that were literally inedible to wonderful, juicy full-flavored ones.  Just remember (if you're not inclined to make your own) that those good sausages are out there--you just need to shop around.  Now that you've presumably found some good sausages, this quick and filling dish with ricotta can be spiced up if you want with some red chile.  Use lots of parsley, definitely.

[photo: Clifford A. Wright]

Yield: Makes 6 servings
Preparation Time: 25 minutes

1/2 pound mild Italian sausage, casing removed, meat crumbled

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 salted anchovy fillets, rinsed

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1 pound fresh ricotta cheese

1/4 cup (1/2 ounce) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

3/4 pound spaghetti

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to taste (optional)

1. In a saute pan, over medium-high heat, cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, the crumbled sausage with 1/4 cup water until it loses its pinkness, about 5 minutes.  Remove with a slotted spoon, pressing any fat out with the back of the wooden spoon.  Set aside.

2. In a small flameproof casserole, or in the same pan you cooked the sausage, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the anchovy, garlic, and parsley and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Add the ricotta, parmigiano, remaining water, and season with salt, pepper, and chile, if using.  Stir to blend and leave on medium heat until the pasta is ready.

3. Meanwhile, for every pound of pasta, bring 6 quarts of water to a rolling boil over high heat, salt abundantly with up to 1/2 cup of salt, then add the pasta in handfuls.  Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together, until al dente.  Drain without rinsing.

4. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl and toss with the sausage and sauce and serve with cheese, if desired.

Variation:  Add some crushed tomatoes when you add the ricotta cheese.

Note: 

Posted: 12/21/2006

Referenced Recipes:

Homemade Italian Sausage