Sometimes, I’ll build an entire recipe around a single ingredient, deliberating idea after idea for how to showcase that one ingredient in its best light. This time around, it was a $6 bag of “farfalloni,” which a quick Google search has just told me are just a slightly bigger version of your regular everyday bow tie pasta.
I blame TJ Maxx.
There isn’t a store on earth that can ensnare me quite so easily as a TJ Maxx (or its brethren, Marshalls and Homegoods). Where else can you buy a designer sweater, a jar of your favorite marinara sauce, and bottle of fancy dog shampoo––all in the same store? I swear I’m not being paid to say these things. I just have an unhealthy obsession with off-price retail, apparently.
Weeks ago, I found myself in said establishment, and I was snaking my way through the kitchen supplies area when I happened upon a section of imported pastas from Italy. I grabbed this bag of especially fancy bow ties, justifying the purchase with the idea that I’d create a recipe for the blog.
It took a while, but I’ve come up with a winner. I wanted to create a pasta recipe that’s perfect for cold weather days and features the two herbs that are still chugging on in our garden––thyme and sage. With sausage meatballs, toasted walnuts, caramelized mushrooms, shaved parmesan, and a touch of cream, this is THE perfect winter pasta recipe to take you through the next few months.
Here’s how to make it!
You’ll need:
- 8 oz. sweet Italian sausage
- extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz. dried short cut pasta, such as farfalle or rigatoni
- 1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, oyster, or chanterelles
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- shaved Parmesan or Romano cheese
Remove the sausage from the casings, and form into small meatballs. In a skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the meatballs until browned, crisp, and cooked through. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to package instructions, undercooking the pasta by 1-2 minutes. Drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.
Meanwhile, add another tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and add the sage. Once the sage is crisp, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and cook the mushrooms until caramelized, along with the fresh thyme.
Add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add the half and half, along with the pasta, meatballs, and parsley.
If the sauce needs to be loosened up a bit, add a bit of the reserved pasta water until you reach the desired consistency.
Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the crispy sage, walnuts, and cheese. Serve!
- 8 oz. sweet Italian sausage
- extra virgin olive oil
- 8 oz. dried short cut pasta, such as farfalle or rigatoni
- ¼ cup fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 lb mushrooms, such as cremini, shiitake, oyster, or chanterelles
- ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- salt and pepper
- ½ cup half and half or heavy cream
- ½ cup toasted walnuts
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- shaved parmesan or romano cheese
- Remove the sausage from the casings, and form into small meatballs. In a skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil and fry the meatballs until browned, crisp, and cooked through. Remove the meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to package instructions, undercooking the pasta by 1-2 minutes. Drain, reserving about a cup of the cooking liquid.
- Meanwhile, add another tablespoon olive oil to the skillet and add the sage. Once the sage is crisp, remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and cook the mushrooms until caramelized, along with the fresh thyme. Add the garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the half and half, along with the pasta, meatballs, and parsley. If the sauce needs to be loosened up a bit, add a bit of the reserved pasta water until you reach the desired consistency. Transfer to a serving bowl and top with the crispy sage, walnuts, and cheese. Serve!
Susan Clark says
I’m pinning this. This looks so delicious and comforting.
Sarah says
Thanks Susan! Hope you like it.
Sabrina says
I love the combination of flavors and textures in this pasta! Definitely right up my alley and your photos look fantastic!
Sarah says
Thank you so much, Sabrina!
Little Cooking Tips says
Our stomachs started growling when we saw that post:) Sausage balls and pasta and cream? No way we’re not trying this within the next few days!:) We’re a bit reluctant with sage (Mirella doesn’t appreciate it much), so perhaps a bit less in our version, but LOVED the dish!
Thank you guys!
Amazing job!
Lots of hugs from Athens!
xoxoxo
Sarah says
Thank you guys!!
Mei says
Love this recipe!!! Perfect for cold days like today. Loving the bowls in the presentation too, are they from T.J. Maxx or Marshalls?
Lol, I told my boys on Monday that we needed to make a Marshall’s run Friday nite.
They always need new sneakers. I don’t need anything, until I get there …then I realize, there’s a gadget I must have…and it’s dirt cheap, like my zyliss Avocado slicer.
– Sarah..if you ever see it, Pick one up..it’s a game changer, perfect for cutting slivers of the fruit without needing to scoop it out first, and for less than 5 bucks!! When the cutting is done, the slicer is also a scooper, that let’s one scoop out the entire half of the avocado…leaving an almost clean shell.
I apologize for sounding like a review on Amazon…just love my slicer, and heck, the tools are as important as the ingredients to every dish.
Sarah says
haha! I do have a Zyliss vegetable peeler that is literally the BEST peeler I’ve ever used. I think i got it for $3.99 at TJ Maxx. I’ll have to look out for this magical slicer you speak of.
The bowls in the photo are actually not from there. My mom purchased them in a ceramics store in Savannah Georgia, I think. Most of our other blog dishware comes from rummage sales and estate sales, though––they have awesome stuff!
Craig says
This dish was perfect for this early winter’s day. Cold, sunny, deserving of a hearty meal. We still have parsley, sage, and thyme in our herb garden and were great accent to a pasta meal.
Sarah says
Awesome. Let us know how you like the dish, Craig!
okiegirl says
Just reading this made my mouth water! As Simon pointed out below, the fried sage is so interesting, and the entire presentation is beautiful with its contrasts.
Can’t wait to try this. You just keep filling up my “upcoming to try” list!
Sarah says
Hope you like it!
Rie says
This looks wonderful Sarah. Hearty without drowning in a sauce. Not that there is anything wrong with that mind you. Just a nice change of pace.
I hear you about TJ Maxx…..I feel the same way about them (I usually skip the clothes and go straight to the “kitchen” section), ChristmasTree Shop and Walmart. Didn’t know I needed that crap…oops….I mean that great find, until I saw it and at a teriffic price…..teehee
Sarah says
hahahaha glad to see i’m not the only one!
Lyn says
Wow this looks delicious!
Sarah says
Thanks Lyn!
Sammie says
Ooh the perfect, comforting meal for cold, gloomy Winter days. Adding crunchy walnuts is absolute genius. Thank you so much for sharing. Sammie.
Sarah says
Thanks Sammie!
Simon says
Hi Sarah,
The crispy sage is so interesting. I’ve never seen it used like that before, but it sounds delicious.
I was wondering where you got the wooden board from? I would love to get something like that for myself, the texture is so aged and rustic.
Sarah says
We actually made that wooden board! My mom spotted a shipping pallet that was being thrown away––it had spent days in the sun and rain, so it had a great weathered look. We took it apart and put together the board you see there as a background!