Creamy Italian Sausage and Shells

Name: Creamy Sausage and Shells
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 12 oz (340 g) Shell Pasta; 1 cup Reserved Pasta Water; 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil; 1 lb Ground Mild Italian Sausage; 1 Shallot, (diced small); 2 Garlic Cloves, (crushed or minced); 2 tsp Italian Seasoning; 1/4 cup Dry White Wine; 1/2 cup Heavy Cream; 2 cups Fresh Spinach; 3/4 cup Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese; Lots of Freshly Ground Pepper (†); Salt, (to taste)

posted by Amie on Feb 22, 2019 (updated Oct 29, 2019) 12 comments »

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5 stars (6 reviews)

Creamy Italian Sausage and Shells will have you falling in love! This easy supper cooks up in less than 20 minutes! Italian sausage is fried up alongside shallots and garlic, to make the base for this recipe. After the reduction of white wine, some cream, spinach, and cheese are added, and then tossed with tender pasta shells, creating this easy and delicious creamy Italian sausage shells pasta. Perfect for any weeknight!

Creamy shell pasta is surrounded by browned crispy sausage, colorful spinach, and delicious pecorino cheese

What’s not to love? Pasta – Yum, Sausage – Yum, Cream – YUM. Excuse my failed attempt at a “Friends” joke, but really this dish really is YUM. Creamy sausage and shells pasta is the perfect weeknight dish! It cooks up in less than 20 minutes, and requires minimal prep work. Just a quick chop of the shallots and garlic, and you’re good to go!

Any Italian Sausage Will Do

The sausage used in this is just your typical run of the mill Italian Sausage. Therefore this dish is not only easy to make, but also full of easily accessible year-round ingredients. The ground sausage in the packs is great, as well the sausage in casings is fine as well, you will just need to remove the meat from the casings before cooking. As well, if you prefer a bit of a kick in your food, feel free to use the spicy Italian sausage as well.

Type of Pasta

The pasta I used in this was shells. I absolutely love shell pasta, as the shape of it naturally collects sauce in their little crevices. So when making a delicious and creamy sauce, a pasta like shell pasta is perfect! With every bite, you get a perfect pairing of creamy sauce! If you do not have shells, orecchiette, cavatelli, or rigatoni will work!

The Role of Wine

Now, with such a rich dish, we need a little bit of acid to balance the whole thing out. I chose to use white wine as the acid in this Creamy Italian Sausage and Shells pasta, as the acidity in it perfectly rounds out this sausage pasta dish, without overwhelming, but it also adds a beautiful background flavor that is just a subtle hint of sweetness. Lastly, wine also assists in releasing the flavor of the other components of the dish, namely by dissolving flavors within the fat. This allows the ingredients to really shine with their full potential, leading to a more flavorful dish.

Additions, Subtractions, and Variations

I added spinach to this as well. If you despise spinach, feel free to leave it out though! I find it just adds a beautiful color to the dish, and a very slight bitterness that plays well with the other ingredients.
If you do not have pecorino, feel free to use parmesan, although you may want to add a touch more salt, as pecorino is much saltier.
The amount of reserved pasta water you will use is up to you. I use ½ cup of pasta water, and I find it makes the pasta perfectly creamy, without being too wet.
Lastly, the amount of pepper you want is up to you, as well. I use quite a bit, because it adds a nice bite to this creamy Italian sausage pasta, as the flavors of cream, cheese, and pepper are absolutely divine, in my opinion!

Get the Recipe: Creamy Sausage and Shells

5 stars (6 reviews)

This ultra-easy pasta dish is perfect for any weeknight! Filled with sausage, cream, spinach, and a touch of white wine, this dish will soon become a staple in your cooking repertoire!

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 20

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

12 oz (340 g) Shell Pasta
1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
1/2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 lb Ground Mild Italian Sausage
1 Shallot,, diced small
2 Garlic Cloves,, crushed or minced
2 tsp Italian Seasoning
1/4 cup Dry White Wine
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups Fresh Spinach
3/4 cup Shredded Pecorino Romano Cheese
Lots of Freshly Ground Pepper, †
Salt,, to taste

Instructions

Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and add shells. Cook according to box instructions, around 6-8 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
Meanwhile, in a large pan over medium heat, heat 1/2 tbsp of olive oil. When oil is hot, add in sausage and shallots. Season with Italian seasoning. Cook, breaking up the pieces of meat into small bits, until the meat is cooked through and the shallots are tender. Add garlic, and cook for an additional minute.
Add in white wine, and allow the wine to reduce by about half (approx. 2-3 minutes). Then, add heavy cream to pan, and stir to combine with meat and oil. Allow the cream to bubble slightly, then add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted down. (Sauce time = 13-15 minutes)
Add in the hot shells, toss to combine. Season with freshly ground pepper, as much or as little as you like, then season with salt to your preferred taste. Add pecorino, and toss to combine. Then slowly add pasta water, bit by bit, just until you are left with a creamy uniform sauce (I used about ½ cup).

Notes

† The amount of pepper is a personal choice; I do, however, use quite a bit when I make this. Start slowly, and taste as you season more.

* When making pasta, you must always determine if you should start the sauce first, start the pasta first, or start them simultaneously – depending on the cooking time of the pasta according to the box.