Creamy Sausage Pasta (Pasta alla Norcina)

This is the most delicious recipe for Creamy Sausage Pasta. Also known as Pasta Alla Norcina, it has caramelised fennel sausages, white wine, cream and garlic, all tossed into some pasta to make the best, crowd-pleasing pasta.

Pasta Alla Norcina is originally from a region called Umbria, right in the middle of Italy. It’s from an old town called Norcia and originally used black truffle shavings. Since most people don’t have truffles lying around on a weeknight, this creamy sausage pasta recipe doesn’t use it but if you are feeling fancy, a drizzle of truffle oil would be delicious.

The Italian name may make it seem fancy but it's so simple. It's just crispy fried sausages, almost crumbled into a mince-like texture, deglazed with sharp white wine. Then you add cream, cheese and pasta water and it turns into a simple yet flavourful sausage pasta sauce that coats every pasta beautifully. It takes less than 30 minutes, so it's a perfect weeknight option for something cosy and warm.

Why you'll love this recipe:

• Quick, simple and on the table in under 30 minutes.
• Using easy-to-find ingredients - many of which you will already have in your fridge and cupboards.
• The sauce is full of flavour, rich and comforting. It's a real crowd-pleaser.
• The recipe is adaptable - you can add a handful of kale to this pasta to make it a balanced meal in one pan.

Ingredients:

See recipe card at the bottom of this post for the exact recipe with a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Garlic - I like to use fresh garlic here but jarred would also work if you have that on hand.

Fennel pork sausage - often known as Italian sausages, they are typically seasoned with fennel and it adds so much flavour to this simple creamy sausage pasta.

White wine - the alcohol cooks out and it just adds sharpness that is hard to recreate elsewhere. It really ties the dish together.

Single cream - use single cream ideally but double cream would work too.

Rigatoni - a short tubular pasta works well here as the creamy sausage sauce ends up sitting inside some of the pasta tubes so you get a bit of everything in one bite.

Pecorino Romano - made from sheep’s milk, pecorino isn’t dissimilar to parmesan but it is a bit funkier and works well here. Use parmesan if you can’t find pecorino.

Substitutions and Variations

Single cream - any creamy ingredient would work in a pinch for this creamy sausage pasta. Single cream is best as it's nice and loose so you get a lovely creamy sauce with the pasta water but if you have creme fraiche, cream cheese or mascarpone on hand, these would also work. You may just need a splash of more pasta water to compensate as these are all thicker than single cream.

Pasta shape - I like a short tubular shape, as mentioned, as the sauce gets caught in the tube which makes each bite delicious. However, any pasta would work. You could even use a long pasta like linguine if you have it.

Sausage - fennel sausages are key here since this creamy sausage pasta has so few ingredients. The fennel is a key flavour. If you don't like fennel, you could use another good-quality pork sausage, either plain or with chilli, for example, if you like spice. If you can't find fennel sausages, use pork sausages with a teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds to mimic it.

Dairy-free - make this recipe dairy-free by swapping the cream and cheese for your favourite plant-based alternatives.

Add vegetables - this would be delicious with wilted spinach, kale or cavolo nero mixed in. You could also add finely sliced courgettes when frying the sausages. They will turn all golden and essentially melt into the pasta sauce. Broccoli would work well too, I would just blanche it in the pasta cooking water first and then add to the sauce. It'll break apart as it cooks.

Here's how to make Creamy Sausage Pasta

Here's a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe at the bottom of the page for detailed instructions.

ONE: In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and then crumble the sausage meat into the pan. Break it up as you brown it, don’t worry if it catches the bottom of the pan - those gnarly caramelised bits add flavour. This should take around 10 minutes.

TWO: Add the chopped garlic and an extra splash of olive oil. Fry for a minute further. The sausages should be golden brown. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and mix together. Use a wooden spoon to get all the bits off the bottom of the pan as that is all great flavour.

THREE: Meanwhile, cook your pasta in salted water until al dente. Once the pasta is nearly done, add a cup full of pasta water to the sausage sauce.

FOUR: Add half the grated pecorino and stir well.

FIVE: Then stir through the cream. It might seem a little loose but the starchy pasta will absorb it all.

SIX: Add the cooked pasta to the sausage sauce and toss really well to coat all the pieces, add more pecorino and toss again. Taste and season.

Cooking Tips:

Browning sausages - to get the best golden colour when frying the sausages, you need to make sure they remain in contact with the base of the pan for this to build up. This means you shouldn't move it around too much when it's in the pan. Contact = colour.

Pasta water - make sure you reserve a mug of pasta water at the end. This is key for a creamy and rich sauce as the starch in the pasta water binds it all together.

Removing the casing from sausages - This can seem a bit of a faff but gets easier once you have the hang of it. You need to make sure your sausages are fridge cold (trust me, it will make it much easier). Then all you have to do is score the skin down the length with a sharp knife, then pull away the sides.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other pasta recipes you might like

Try my Creamy Lemon Pasta, Creamy Boursin & Artichoke Pasta or Tomato & Nduja Pasta for my easy weeknight pastas.

Made this recipe and loved it?

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Creamy Sausage Pasta

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5 from 3 reviews

This creamy sausage pasta really makes the fennel sausages the star of the show so use the best sausages you can get your hands on with a high pork content.

• Author: margie
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: Serves 2
• Category: Pasta
• Method: Stove
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 400g fennel flavoured pork sausage (usually around 6 sausages)
• 150ml white wine
• 150ml single cream
• 200g rigatoni
• 120g pecorino Romano
• Salt & black pepper

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Instructions

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and then crumble the sausage meat into the pan. Break it up as you brown it, don’t worry if it catches the bottom of the pan - those gnarly caramelised bits add flavour. This should take around 10 minutes.
2. Add the chopped garlic and an extra splash of olive oil. Fry for a minute further. The sausages should be golden brown.
3. Deglaze the pan by adding the white wine and mix together. Use a wooden spoon to get all the bits off the bottom of the pan as that is all great flavour.
4. Meanwhile, cook your pasta in salted water until al dente.
5. Once the pasta is nearly done, add a cup full of pasta water to the sausage sauce and half of the cheese. Then stir through the cream. It might seem a little loose but the starchy pasta will absorb it all.
6. Add the cooked pasta to the sausage sauce and toss really well to coat all the pieces, add more pecorino and toss again. Taste and season.
7. Serve with more pecorino and lots of black pepper

Notes

Scroll up for a helpful step by step guide on how to make creamy sausage pasta.

To store: Leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container and placed in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat: The best way to reheat is in a saucepan over medium heat with an added knob of butter. Stir well and heat gently until it's saucy and melted again. Or the microwave works well too. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until piping hot. 

To freeze: I don't love freezing this pasta as I find it turns grainy once defrosted. 

Make ahead: This is a pasta dish that is best made fresh as the pasta water is a key part of the sauce. If you want to get ahead, you could fry off the sausages a few hours ahead and then cover and set aside. When ready to cook, bring back to temperature, fry the garlic off and continue as normal.

Wine hack: I would really recommend the wine here, it cooks out so it doesn’t have a strong alcohol taste and it really rounds out the dish. If you use 150ml here, you’ll have a few glasses left in the bottle to have with dinner. If you can’t get through a full bottle of wine, I pour anything left over into an ice cube tray or a sandwich bag and freeze it. I then throw it into the pan when I next need wine to cook with. If you cannot use wine, use some chicken stock and a good tablespoon of lemon juice or white wine vinegar.

Fennel sausages: If you can't find fennel sausages, add a teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds when adding the garlic.

Browning sausages: to get the best golden colour when frying the sausages, you need to make sure they remain in contact with the base of the pan for this to build up. This means you shouldn't move it around too much when it's in the pan. Contact = colour.

Pasta water: make sure you reserve a mug of pasta water at the end. This is key for a creamy and rich sauce as the starch in the pasta water binds it all together. 

Removing the casing from sausages: This can seem a bit of a faff but gets easier once you have the hang of it. You need to make sure your sausages are fridge cold (trust me, it will make it much easier). Then all you have to do is score the skin down the length with a sharp knife, then pull away the sides.