Hearty Sausage Pasta with Italian Tomato Sauce
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- Italian Base 4 ½ cup
- vegan sausage OR 2-4
- baby spinach 5 oz
- large handful of fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems Note 3 14 g
- Kosher
- bucatini or medium-sized ridged pasta 12 oz
- A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
For a heartier pasta, use 4 link of vegan sausage. For a more spinach-heavy pasta, use up to 7 oz of spinach. (It melts in the dish.) For basil storage tips, check out the Vegetable Prep section. If you can’t find basil or your basil has wilted by the time you make this meal, replace it with flat-leaf parsley. If you don’t have either, no worries! This dish is still great without it. Storage: Store the pasta in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove, adding a touch of water if needed to thin out the sauce (I also like eating leftovers cold or at room temp). Add freshly chopped basil or parsley on top right before serving, if you have it. Storage: Note: If you don’t think you’ll eat all of this, you can freeze the sausage and tomato sauce before tossing it with the pasta (pasta does not freeze great). Defrost the sauce in the fridge, then reheat on the stove and toss with fresh cooked pasta. Nutrition boost: Use more spinach (see Note 2). For more fiber, use whole wheat pasta. For more veggie/fiber content, opt for the homemade Walnut-Mushroom Meat instead of the vegan sausage.
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1Gather: Italian Base , vegan sausage OR , baby spinach , large handful of fresh basil or flat-leaf parsley leaves and tender stems Note 3 , Kosher salt, bucatini or medium-sized ridged pasta , A drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil .
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2Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil for the pasta. Take the timer 1/2 cup Italian Base out of the fridge. If not using vegan sausage, start on steps 1 through 4 of the Walnut-Mushroom Meat.
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3While the pasta water boils, prepare the other ingredients. Crumble the sausage with your hands (if your sausage is the type that crumbles). If it doesn’t crumble, slice it. Chop the spinach and basil or parsley, if using.
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4Once the water is boiling, salt the water generously, about 1 1/2 tbsp kosher salt (or 2 1/2-3 tsp sea salt). Add the pasta and cook for the minimum amount of time for al dente pasta according to the package instructions. Before draining, reserve 1 cup or 2 soup ladle of pasta water. Drain the pasta but do not rinse it. Keep the pasta pot for step 6.
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5While the pasta cooks, heat a 12-inch (30 cm) or larger deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. If not using a nonstick pan, you may need to drizzle in a bit of oil. Once hot, add the crumbled or sliced sausage. Break it up with a wooden spatula and cook for 4-6 minutes , until browned and a bit crisp. If using the Walnut-Mushroom Meat, proceed with step 5 of that recipe.
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6Add the timer 1/2 cup Italian Base to the sausage. Simmer for a few minutes until warmed. Add the baby spinach and cook briefly until it just starts to wilt. Turn off the heat.
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7Return the hot pasta to its pot, along with the sausage-tomato mixture and 3/4 cup pasta water. Turn the heat to medium-high and toss vigorously with tongs until pasta is well-coated and al dente, 1 to 2 minutes. Add more pasta water as needed to bring it together. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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8Off the heat, garnish with basil (or parsley) if using. Serve with your side salad, if you made one.