My sausage and lemon ricotta pasta: Italian sausage, fresh ricotta and lemon emulsified with starchy pasta water into a creamy sauce. 15 minutes. Serves 4.
Sausage, Ricotta and Lemon Pasta
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Category
Dinner
Servings
4
Prep time
5 minutes
Cook time
15 minutes
This pasta was inspired by recipes from the Pasta Queen and my mate Christian Petracca. Taking elements of both of them, I've turned it into a fresh, creamy ricotta and sausage pasta that you can make in about 15 minutes.
This pasta has Italian pork sausages and fresh ricotta, with lemon providing both acidity and fragrance. We're going to remove the sausage meat from its casing and break it into rough chunks which gives you irregular, caramelised pieces that develop a fond on the base of the pan. That fond gets lifted when you add starchy pasta water, and the liquid becomes the sauce base. Fresh ricotta doesn’t melt in the way aged cheeses do; it holds its structure until broken up and agitated in warm liquid. The starch in the pasta water helps it emulsify into a sauce that coats the rigatoni. It will look slightly chunky as that's the nature of ricotta but if you want a smooth sauce, just add some cream to it.
We'll add lemon juice to season and acidify the sauce while it’s still on the heat, then add then zest off the heat once the pasta is tossed through. Rigatoni is the best shape as the ridges hold the sauce and the tubes trap the sausage pieces so you get a bit of everything in each forkful.
Ingredient Notes
Fresh ricotta: Fresh ricotta from the deli counter has a higher moisture content and looser texture than supermarket tub ricotta. That extra moisture helps it integrate into the pasta water without needing much extra liquid added. If you use smooth supermarket ricotta, it will be drier and denser, so reduce the amount of pasta water you add to avoid a watery sauce.
Italian pork sausages: Italian pork sausages are already seasoned with fennel seeds and other aromatics, and that seasoning carries through into the sauce without any extra spices needed. Remove the casing from the meat and break it up into small, irregular pieces.
Lemon zest: Use a microplane to get fine zest rather than a box grater. Coarser grates from a box grater include more of the white pith, which is bitter. With a microplane you get only the outer layer of the skin, which holds the fragrant essential oils. Add it off the heat at the very end to keep those oils sharp and bright.
Equipment
Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Large saucepan (for pasta)
Large saucier pan or frying pan
Colander
Microplane or zester
Tongs or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 500g rigatoni
-
2 tbsp olive oil + extra for garnish
- 4 thick Italian pork sausages
-
4 cloves garlic
- 300g fresh ricotta cheese
- zest and juice of 2 lemons
- ½ bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
- sea salt, to taste
Directions
Cook the pasta
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until al dente.
- Drain the pasta, saving a little of the pasta water.
Cook the sauce base
Heat the oil in a large saucier pan over medium heat.
Peel the skin from the sausages. Break up the sausages into the oil into small ‘meatball size’ pieces. Cook for 3 minutes, without stirring, then begin stirring to brown on all sides.
Chop the garlic, add to the pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute, taking care not to let the garlic catch and brown too much.
Add 1 cup (250ml) of the pasta water and reduce by half, stirring to mix in the fond from the base of the pan. Reduce the heat to low.
Add the ricotta and break it up as you mix it through the sausage mixture. Add a little more water if needed. Continue stirring until the sauce becomes somewhat smooth. If you want to create a truly glossy, smooth sauce, add 1/2 cup of cream when you add the ricotta.
Finish and serve
Stir through the lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the pasta water in case it is needed, then add the pasta to the sauce. Remove from the heat.
- Add the lemon zest and parsley and toss well to combine. Divide between serving bowls and garnish with a little more parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.
Recipe notes
Chef Tips
Don’t stir the sausage immediately
Leave the sausage pieces to cook undisturbed for the first 3 minutes. Stirring too early pulls the meat away before a crust has formed, and you miss out on the caramelisation and the fond that builds on the base of the pan. That fond is what gives the sauce its depth when you deglaze with pasta water.
Keep pasta water in reserve
The ricotta sauce can tighten up as it sits, especially once the pasta goes in and absorbs some of the liquid. Save a full cup of pasta water rather than just a splash. The ¾ cup used in the method is for the sauce; you’ll likely want a little more to loosen things up after tossing.
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. The sauce will thicken as it sits. Reheat in a pan over low heat with a splash of water, stirring to bring the sauce back together.
FAQs
Can I use a different pasta shape? You can. Rigatoni works well because the ridges hold the sauce and the tubes trap the sausage pieces, but penne or fusilli are good alternatives. Avoid thin pasta shapes like spaghetti or linguine, which won’t hold the chunky sauce as well.
Can I make this without sausages? Yes. Swap the sausages for seasoned ground pork or beef mince, and add a pinch of fennel seeds to the pan with the garlic to replicate some of the spice from the sausage. The method stays the same.
Can I use a different cheese? Fresh ricotta is my preference, but smooth supermarket ricotta or a dollop of mascarpone both work. Mascarpone will be richer and less tangy, and may not need as much pasta water to loosen. Avoid hard cheeses like parmesan as a direct substitute; they won’t emulsify into the sauce the same way.
