Sweet and Spicy Sausage and Farfalle is pasta served in a creamy tomato sauce with spinach, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and chunks of sweet Italian sausage. The red pepper flakes add heat which contrasts nicely with the sweet sausage, and the Parmesan cheese pulls everything together perfectly. This is a meal that my mother made often when we were growing up – probably because it only takes 20 minutes to prepare and can easily be doubled or tripled to make a large batch.
If you are not a fan of red pepper flakes, you can omit them. Charles loves them so much that he sprinkles extra onto his plate when I make this. My mother always used pork sausages in this recipe, but when I was shopping I found Sweet Italian Chicken Sausages and used them instead to make the meal a little bit healthier. I thought the meal was just as good with chicken.
Kit Graham
Yields 2
Sweet and Spicy Sausage and Farfalle is pasta served in a creamy tomato sauce with spinach, onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes and chunks of sweet Italian sausage.
20 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time
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Ingredients
- 2 Sweet Italian Sausages* (1/2 lb total)
- 1/4 cup chopped White Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 1 (14.5 oz) can of Crushed Tomatoes
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 cups Farfalle
- 1 cup Baby Spinach
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- *Chicken or Pork
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and garlic. Slice the ends off the sausage, and push the meat out of the casing, and loosely crumble it up.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Once the water has come to a boil, add the pasta. Cook for 7-8 minutes, until al dente. Then drain the pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the rest of this dish. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté. After 2 minutes, add the sausage and red pepper flakes. For a mild spice add 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, or add more for extra spice. Brown the sausage, while using a wooden spoon to break it into small pieces.
- Once the sausage has browned, add the garlic, crushed tomatoes, spinach, and cream. Stir together. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Place the pasta back in the pot and pour the sauce over the pasta. Let the pasta simmer in the sauce for 2 minutes over medium heat. Then serve the sausage and bow ties with a sprinkle of Parmesan.
