Description
This creamy sausage gemelli pasta is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring mild Italian sausage, sautéed shallots and mushrooms, and a rich white wine and cream sauce. Perfectly cooked gemelli pasta is tossed in the savory sauce infused with fresh thyme and a hint of crushed red pepper for subtle heat, finished with grated Parmesan cheese for a deliciously indulgent meal ideal for weeknight dinners or entertaining guests.
Ingredients
Scale
Sausage Mixture
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
- 2 small shallots, finely diced
- 8 ounces sliced mushrooms
Sauce
- 1 ½ cups dry white wine
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving
- Pinch nutmeg (optional)
Pasta
- 12 ounces dry gemelli pasta (or any medium shape pasta)
To Serve
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook Sausage and Vegetables: Heat a dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bulk mild Italian sausage and cook until lightly browned but not fully cooked, stirring frequently to crumble the meat. Add the diced shallots and sliced mushrooms and cook until the shallots are translucent, mushrooms are softened, and the sausage is fully cooked through.
- Reduce Wine: Pour in the dry white wine and add the bay leaf to the pan. Continue cooking over medium heat until the liquid reduces by half, about 15-20 minutes, concentrating the flavors.
- Prepare Pasta: While the wine is reducing, cook the gemelli pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve ⅓ cup of the pasta cooking liquid, then drain the pasta and set aside.
- Make Cream Sauce: Stir the heavy cream, fresh thyme leaves, crushed red pepper flakes, and optional pinch of nutmeg into the sausage and wine mixture. Allow the sauce to simmer gently for 5-7 minutes, until it thickens slightly.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: Add the cooked gemelli pasta to the creamy sausage sauce. Stir thoroughly to combine and heat everything through evenly. If the sauce is too thick, thin it out gradually by adding the reserved pasta cooking liquid one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.
- Serve: Plate the creamy sausage gemelli pasta and garnish generously with grated Parmesan cheese and additional crushed red pepper flakes to taste.
Notes
- You can substitute gemelli with other medium pasta shapes like penne or rigatoni.
- If you prefer a milder sauce, reduce or omit the crushed red pepper flakes.
- Use a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio for best flavor.
- Reserve some pasta water to adjust sauce consistency; it helps the sauce cling better to the pasta.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated up to 3 days and reheated gently on stovetop or microwave.
