Recipes: Perk up your pasta with Italian sausage and fresh herbs

Italian sausage is a shortcut for easily adding complexity to all sorts of dishes.

Italian Sausage and Mushroom Ragù With PappardelleConnie Miller/of CB Creatives

Italian sausage is a shortcut for easily adding complexity to all sorts of dishes. This is because it jams many different ingredients and flavors into one package. Most brands come loaded with spices and aromatics, which can include fennel, anise, black and red pepper, parsley, garlic, and more. We love to remove it from the casing and break it up in a skillet to add layered meatiness to pasta, such as with a hearty mushroom ragù tossed with pappardelle. Sautéed with orecchiette and arugula, we balance the sausage’s richness with dry vermouth and lemon zest. And hot or sweet Italian sausage pairs beautifully with a saffron-scented sauce of basil, tomatoes, and salty pecorino.

Italian Sausage and Mushroom Ragù With Pappardelle

Makes 4 servings

This rich and hearty ragù was inspired by a recipe from Portland, Oregon, chef Vitaly Paley. Ground cinnamon, a hefty pour of red wine, and crushed tomatoes build layers of flavor over a base of garlic, portobellos, and Italian sausage. Choose a full-bodied, dry red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.

Use bulk sausage, not Italian sausage links, for this recipe. Bulk sausage is better because its grind tends to be finer than that of links, so the meat breaks apart more readily during cooking.

2 tablespoons salted butter

5 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 pound portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, caps finely chopped

2 large shallots, halved and thinly sliced

1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage

1 cup dry red wine

1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Kosher salt and ground black pepper

1 14½-ounce can crushed tomatoes

12 ounces dried pappardelle or tagliatelle pasta

In a 12-inch skillet set over medium heat, warm the butter and garlic until the butter has melted and the mixture begins to sizzle. Add the mushrooms and shallots and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms have released their liquid and the shallots have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and breaking the meat into small pieces, until no longer pink, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard any accumulated fat.

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the wine. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth, cinnamon, and ¾ teaspoon pepper. Continue to simmer until the broth has reduced by about half, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the tomatoes, and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside, covered.

While the sauce simmers, in a large pot bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook until the pasta is al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Add the sauce and toss to coat (if needed, toss in a few tablespoons of the reserved cooking water to thin the sauce).

Orecchiette With Sausage and ArugulaConnie Miller/of CB Creatives

Orecchiette With Sausage and Arugula

Makes 4 to 6 servings

A ragù of ground pork and wild fennel that we ate at Osteria Sa Domu Sarda in Cagliari, Sardinia, served as the inspiration for this quick and easy pasta dish. Dry vermouth and citrusy lemon zest perfectly balance the richness of the Italian sausage and the pepperiness of baby arugula. Orecchiette, a coin-sized, saucer-shaped pasta, is ideal for catching flavorful bits of sausage, scallions, and fennel seeds; if you can’t find orecchiette, small shells and cavatelli work well, too.

Remember to reserve 1 cup of the cooking water before draining the pasta. You will need it to build the sauce.

Kosher salt

1 pound orecchiette pasta

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casing removed

2 bunches scallions, sliced, white and green parts reserved separately

4 medium garlic cloves, chopped

2 teaspoons fennel seeds

¼ cup dry vermouth or white wine

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 5-ounce container baby arugula, roughly chopped

1½ ounces Parmesan cheese, finely grated (¾ cup), plus more to serve

In a large pot, bring 4 quarts water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta, then cook, stirring occasionally, until just shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water, then drain. Return the pasta to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, in a 12-inch skillet set over medium-high heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it into small chunks, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate, then pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon of the fat.

To the fat in the pan, add the scallion whites, garlic, and fennel seeds. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the scallions are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the vermouth and cook, scraping up any browned bits, until most of the liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Stir in the reserved cooking water, the lemon zest, and half of the scallion greens. Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 1 to 2 minutes.

Pour the mixture over the pasta, then add the sausage. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the arugula and toss to wilt. Off heat, stir in the Parmesan. Serve sprinkled with the remaining scallion greens and drizzled with oil; offer additional Parmesan on the side.

Orecchiette With Sardinian Sausage RagùConnie Miller/of CB Creatives

Orecchiette With Sardinian Sausage Ragù

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Saffron gives this simple Sardinian ragù lots of character. The spice’s vaguely floral, slightly mineral flavor pairs beautifully with the sausage, tomatoes, and pecorino, but since saffron is a somewhat rarified ingredient, we keep it optional. Even without it, the dish is delicious.

Our favorite pasta for this recipe is orecchiette; small shells and campanelle work well, too. If you can find pecorino Sardo, a sheep’s milk cheese from Sardinia, use it in place of pecorino Romano; it has a milder, slightly smoky flavor and adds complexity to the dish.

Canned tomato sauce should not be substituted for tomato puree — the former contains seasonings such as salt and garlic powder; the latter is made from only tomatoes. Also, don’t worry if the sauce is ready ahead of the orecchiette; it won’t suffer if it waits a few minutes off the heat while the pasta finishes.

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

4 medium garlic cloves, chopped

½ cup dry white wine

¼ teaspoon saffron (optional)

1 14½-ounce can tomato puree (1½ cups)

1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed, broken into ½-inch or smaller pieces

Kosher salt

1 pound orecchiette pasta (see headnote)

1 ounce pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated (½ cup), plus more to serve (see headnote)

½ cup roughly chopped basil, plus more to serve

In a 12-inch skillet set over medium heat, combine the oil and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and saffron (if using), then cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced by about half, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, sausage, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring once or twice, until sausage is no longer pink at the center, 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add 1½ teaspoons salt and the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

Transfer the sausage mixture to the pot with the pasta, then stir in the cheese and 2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water. If the sauce is too thick, stir in additional pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Taste and season with salt, then stir in the basil. Serve sprinkled with additional basil and cheese.