This is what Giada calls a ‘sauceless pasta’. Upon hearing that phrase I almost immediately said, ‘no thanks lady’ & flipped the page, but then I was intrigued. How could a pasta without sauce be anything beyond a pasta princess’ nightmare?? So I gave it a skim…apparently we here in the states have been doing Italian cooking all wrong. We drown our pastas instead of letting the flavors of the noodles, meats & veggies stand on their own. So I thought, what the hey, I’m 1/2 Italian so I suppose I should at least TRY to not disgrace my country’s heritage. But if it tastes like crap disgrace away! And you know what, it was AMAZING! And it’s super guilt-free. Italian flavored chicken sausage, tasty sweet peas & a light tossing of EVOO & sharp Parmesan is an awesome combo. This ‘sauceless’ dish will definitely be sticking around. Although you can’t shame me into not drowning my spaghetti with meat sauce.
Love me some meat sauce.
Pasta with Chicken Sausage, Peas & Mushroom
{Taken from: Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken italian sausage, removed from casing
- salt & pepper
- 10 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 1 (10 ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted slightly
- 1 pound farfalle pasta
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
In a large pot, bring well salted water to a boil. In a large saute pan over high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, add sausage and saute breaking any large lumps until golden brown. Season with S & P, remove meat from pan and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to pan and heat. Add chopped mushrooms and season with S & P. Saute until all the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the peas and saute for 4 minutes. Return the meat to the pan and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
When the pot of water has come to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain in a colander. Return pasta to the pot and add the meat mixture. Combine thoroughly and gently cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. Drizzle in remaining olive oil. If the mixture is dry, do not hesitate to use more olive oil if necessary. Check the seasoning. Turn off the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir well and serve in large bowl.
Oh yes, I could see how this would still be pretty flavourful without the sauce. The taste and textures from the sausage and mushrooms alone would be great. I would use fresh peas… there is nothing like the flavour of a fresh pea! Thanks for sharing!
– Brittany
Hi Natasha! Looks like a great recipe!! THanks for sharing! Just wondering where you bought the chicken sausage from? I don’t think I have seen it at Giant or Safeway. Thanks!
I found it in the butcher case at Whole Foods. Giada’s recipe actually calls for Itlalian turkey sausage but my grocery only had chicken. It was still pretty good though!
haha oh you and giada. pasta without sauce is great in the summer! especially with fresh grilled veggies. although baby girl only likes the saucy stuff, bummer.