PARMESAN SAUCE FOR PASTA RECIPES

Pasta and sausage are a combination that usually suggests a dense, heavy tomato sauce. But it can also mean the very opposite. Sausage, used in small amounts, can contribute to a relatively light, almost delicate pasta sauce. In fact, sausage is a gift to the minimalist cook: it comes already seasoned, and its seasoning can be used to flavor whatever goes with it. The technique is simple. It's easiest to start with bulk sausage, or patties, because then there's no need to remove the meat from a casing. (Though that is easy to do: Just slit the casing with a sharp knife and peel it off.) You crumble the sausage into a little melted butter, which adds smoothness to the final sauce (omit it if you prefer), add water or other liquid and finish with grated Parmesan.

Provided by Mark Bittman

Total Time 20 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Number Of Ingredients 6

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : @context http//schema.org, Calories 489, UnsaturatedFatContent 13 grams, CarbohydrateContent 43 grams, FatContent 25 grams, FiberContent 2 grams, ProteinContent 21 grams, SaturatedFatContent 11 grams, SodiumContent 614 milligrams, SugarContent 2 grams, TransFatContent 0 grams

When pureeing fennel one day, I realized its velvety texture would make for a creamy, delicious pasta sauce—without all the guilt. My experiment worked, and now I enjoy this good-for-you pasta sauce all the time. —Deb Schwab, Moraga, California

Provided by Taste of Home

Categories     Dinner

Total Time 60 minutes

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Yield 6 servings.

Number Of Ingredients 13

• Ingredients

Nutrition Facts : Calories 309 calories, FatContent 7g fat (3g saturated fat), CholesterolContent 19mg cholesterol, SodiumContent 690mg sodium, CarbohydrateContent 51g carbohydrate (11g sugars, FiberContent 5g fiber), ProteinContent 12g protein.