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Bowl of Pasta alla Norcina with creamy sausage sauce, grated pecorino, and cracked pepper on a wooden table.

Creamy Pasta alla Norcina with Sausage and Pecorino

A quick Umbrian pasta with crumbled sausage, white wine, cream, and pecorino, ready in about 35 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course (Pasta)
Cuisine: Italian (Umbrian)
Calories: 950
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Sausage Sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 400 g Italian pork sausage, casings removed mild or fennel-spiced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped (about 60 g)
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 120 ml dry white wine
  • 200 ml heavy cream
  • 80 g pecorino romano, finely grated plus more for serving
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
  • black truffle, shaved a few slices; optional
For the Pasta
  • 400 g rigatoni or strangozzi
  • salt for pasta water

Method
 

  1. Bring a 6-quart / 5.7L pot of water to a boil and salt it generously.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch / 30cm skillet over medium heat. Add the crumbled sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, for 6 to 8 minutes until browned.
  3. Add the shallot and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and translucent.
  4. Pour in the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until mostly evaporated.
  5. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 10 to 12 minutes for rigatoni. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
  6. Lower the heat under the sausage and pull the skillet off the burner for a few seconds. Stir in the cream, then return to low heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes, without letting it boil hard.
  7. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat. Splash in reserved pasta water a little at a time if the sauce looks too thick.
  8. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in the pecorino and black pepper, tossing until the sauce turns glossy and coats the pasta.
  9. Plate immediately, topping with extra pecorino and a few shavings of black truffle if using.

Notes

  • Remove sausage casings before cooking so the meat crumbles evenly in the pan.
  • Don't let the cream come to a hard boil, it can separate.
  • Toss pasta with sauce off the heat for the last minute so the pecorino melts smoothly.
  • Save pasta water before draining, you'll likely need it to loosen the sauce.