Oh yes! March Madness and pasta – this dish may go all. the. way. Found on Food & Wine, this one’s a real crowd pleaser, easy to make on a week night after work, and equally good for company, too. I whirled my sausage in the food processor to get it nice and crumbly. And of course, I did not use heavy cream – instead I subbed nondairy creamer, and used 1/2 cup instead of the 3/4 cup called for in the original. This one is a winner. Enjoy!
Pasta with sausage, basil, & mustard
1 pound medium shells
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 spicy Italian chicken sausages, crumbled
3/4 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup nondairy creamer
3 tablespoons grainy mustard
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 cup thinly sliced basil
Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the sausage meat and brown over moderately high heat. Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the nondairy creamer, mustard, and crushed red pepper; simmer for 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat; add the pasta and basil and toss to coat. Serve at once. Makes 4 servings.
Mustard, pasta, and basil seem like such an unlikely combination but I will trust you when you say its a keeper! I can’t wait for the fresh basil of summer.
This looks great! What is the parmesan cheese looking thing you have on top. Is there non-dairy parmesan cheese?
Yes, there is, Shoshana. It comes grated, and the kind I buy is vegan and made by Galaxy Foods. So funny, someone asked me a similar question yesterday.
This is how I get shaved parmesan: I’ve actually played around with the parmesan topping a bit. I will take a whole container of soy parmesan and bake it in a sprayed ramekin, then cool it and refrigerate it. Then I remove it from the ramekin and slice it as needed with a vegetable peeler.
Oh yum! Do you think this would be as good without the soy parma?
Yes, Alisa, without a doubt!
How scrumptious and how gorgeous!!!! Thanks for sharing with Presto Pasta Nights.
This looks delicious. The mustard is different…I’ll give it a try.
So simple but delicious. I’ve cooked it several times and it has been a real success with friends!
Best by using Pinot Grigio (Italian white wine)