Pasta with Sausage and Ricotta

Hi Everyone,  we are deep into winter now and I for one am craving rich and savory foods. This dish is very hearty and satisfying, heavy on carbs and protein, but easy to prepare.  You will need about 1/2 lb. sweet italian sausage, ( I use Gimme Lean vegetarian sausage meat, which is the best mock sausage I have found ), about 2/3 pint of ricotta cheese, and garlic, olive oil, parsley, and of course pasta.  I recommend rigatoni, which is a large tube with little ridges on it.  The richness of the sausage and ricotta pairs well with a large pasta and the ridges hold the the sauce well and help to make it adhere to the pasta.

Pasta with Sausage and Ricotta:

Saute three sliced cloves of garlic in a couple of tbs. of olive oil.  When the garlic is just getting golden, add the sausage meat.  If you are using real sausage take the meat out of the casing and fork into small pieces in the pan.  Gimme Lean is not in a casing so just use a fork to break it into edible sized pieces.  Cook the sausage through, and brown on both sides.  When almost done, add some fresh, chopped parsley and salt and pepper to taste.  Take off the flame and transfer the sausage to the bowl in which you will be serving the dish.  When the sausage has cooled, add the ricotta and mix together thoroughly.  Cook the pasta al dente and before draining, take about a ladleful of the pasta water and mix it into the sausage mixture.  Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the sausage while it is nice and hot.  Toss and serve. 

I also prepared sauteed broccoli rabe and a salad of mesculun greens dressed with olive oil, fresh garlic and lemon juice.  The fresh greens were a nice counterpoint to the richness of the pasta.  Mmmmmmmm, yummy!  Enjoy your food!  Xo