One Pan Sausage Pasta
Sausage-meat polpette, pasta and cheese all baked together in one pan while the oven does the work - the dinner that leaves the table silent.
Serves: 4-6
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
INGREDIENTS
750g sausages, skins removed and meat rolled into tiny polpette (mini meatballs)
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
250g short pasta
1 tin crushed tomatoes
1 smaller jar passata
1 tin's worth of milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup mozzarella, grated
2 cups parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
To serve
4 slices mozzarella
1 burrata or buffalo mozzarella
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
bunch of rocket
salad dressing (from the fridge hacks)
METHOD
You can pretty much assume my recipes require an oven on 180C. This is because I have 3 kids and the oven can do things without requiring attention, unlike a needy stovetop. So when I can, food goes in there.
I did start this on the stove, but relax, it's a one-pan wonder. Preheat the oven to 180C.
The sausage meatballs go straight into hot oil in an ovenproof pan. Brown them off for a bit, then lower the heat and add the onion, garlic, oregano and some salt and pepper.
In a mixing bowl, combine your pasta, canned and bottled tomatoes, grated cheese, water and - this looks totally gross, but - the milk as well.
Get all this back in the pan and chuck a lid on it.
Into the oven for 45 minutes. Try not to check it, but do it anyway because we don't know each other that well yet. It will bubble and steam and eventually arrive at al dente. Take it out when you can happily eat a centre piece of pasta.
Scatter the mozzarella slices and burrata on top and put the lid back on for a few minutes to melt.
Toss a salad together (don't complicate things, you really only need leaves and dressing).
Serve on the table with a drizzle of oil, maybe some fresh lemon zest over the top and some extra parmesan.
HINTS
Skinning sausages and rolling the meat into little polpette is the shortcut to homemade meatballs with none of the mixing and seasoning - the sausage did that for you.
The milk in with the tomatoes looks wrong and tastes right - it softens the sauce the way a splash of cream would.
Don't be angry that nobody's speaking at the table. It's not the TV. It's their way of saying thank you and we love you.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4-6 - guide only):
Energy: approximately 18400kJ (4400 calories)
Protein: 215g
Fat: 250g
Saturated fat: 115g
Carbohydrates: 250g
Sugars: 30g
Fibre: 15g
Sodium: 7500mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.