Cavatelli with Spicy Italian Sausage is a meal with all the ingredients to make a glorious Italian meal! Think about chewy al dente homemade cavatelli that collect a sauce made with Spicy Italian sausage, Calabrian chili pepper, tomato sauce and a bit of red wine. The ingredients of the sauce are blending together simmering for a few hours and you can top this dish with a sprinkle of Caciocavallo cheese.
Why you will love this recipe
It is the perfect sauce for the cavatelli that with their hollow can hold more sauce and make every bite very tasty.
It has some of the most amazing Italian ingredients: tomato sauce, spicy pork sausage, Calabrian chili and caciocavallo a cheese with a hint of peppery-spicy notes.
You can make a big batch of this sauce and freeze it to use it during busy weeknights.
Ingredients for Cavatelli with Spicy Italian Sausage
For this recipe you need:
Cavatelli: you can learn how to make them in my previous blog post.
Spicy Italian Sausage – called also hot sausage is widely diffused and you can also buy it at your trustees butcher.
Onions: you will need one medium onions to create a layer of flavor to the sauce.
Tomato paste: it is essential to give a base of robust tomatoey flavor and I recommend Mutti.
Red wine: a Chianti will work well.
Calabrian Chili Pepper: a small red chile pepper grown in the Italian southwest region of Calabria. They’re a staple in the cuisine of the region, prized for their bright red color, smoky flavor and spicy heat.
San Marzano tomatoes: in this season you can see canned ones, and I recommend Mutti, my favorite trusted brands. I like it as it is less salty than others and it has very few ingredients, warranty of genuinity.
Fresh Basil and Oregano: they add an herbaceous taste to the sauce, creating some depth.
EVOO: you will need just a bit at the end.
Caciocavallo– possibly aged: it can be described as creamy, slightly salty, with a hint of spice when well-aged, and is considered a versatile cheese for melting and grating on pasta dishes. This chese is very popular in Southern Italy.
How to make Cavatelli with Spicy Italian Sausage
Gather all your ingredients and start by removing the casings from the sausage. Discard the casings. Use a skillet and place on the stove on medium heat, when hot add the sausage, breaking up the sausage as it cooks so you don’t have large pieces. Once the sausage has browned and is cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Leave the fat from the sausage in the pan and add the chopped onions, a pinch of Calabrian chili, the tomato paste, mix it well and then add the red wine, scraping down the bits of the sausage. Once the wine has evaporated add the tomatoes and mash the with a wooden spoon. Add a sprig of basil and a sprig of thyme. Let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove the herbs and then add the sausage you kept aside. Let is cook on slow for other 40 minutes, until all the flavor are combined.
While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of hot water to boil, add salt and add the cavatelli. Cook them for 9 minutes ion freshly made, or if fry simply follow the instruction on the package. Remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce. Mix them and add a few tablespoon of pasta cooking water. Add a few tablespoon of the Caciocavallo cheese and mix until combined.
Plate them and sprinkle them with a drizzle of EVOO and some freshly coarsely grated Caciocavallo cheese , more Calabrian chili pepper and some fresh basil.
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Ingredients Subsitutions and Variations
Cavatelli: this pasta sauce marries well with orecchiette, Gnocchi or any other type of dry pasta such as fusilli, gemelli or cavatappi. You will need a shape that can in fact hold the sauce.
Spicy Italian Sausage – you can utilize sweet sausage if you prefer a less spicy flavor.
Onions: you can sub them with shallots.
Red wine: while the red wine adds richness to the sauce, thee white wine will give a more bright taste.
Calabrian Chili Pepper: you can use normal chili if you cannot find this type.
San Marzano tomatoes: you can use Roma tomatoes or you can use fresh ones and make your own tomato sauce. You can also omit the tomatoes and have a more meatier dish, but I think the tomatoes add flavor and richness.
Caciocavallo: if this cheese is hard to find, go for Parmigiano Reggiano you never go wrong! Alternatively you can try some Provolone, in its milder or spicier version.
How to store Cavatelli with spicy Italian Sausage
You can store Cavatelli with spicy Italian Sausage leftovers in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. In fact, I have to confess that I prefer making this sauce ahead as the sauce is often better the next day!
How to reheat leftover sausage sauce and cavatelli?
If you have leftovers, simply reheat slowly in a saucepan or skillet on low heat until heated through. My preferencee is to avoid the microwave as it ruins the consistency of the pasta and the sauce. In the end Italians are not fond of microwave.
How to freeze spicy Italian sausage sauce?
This sauce can bee easily made in a batch and frozen. You can easily use it anytime you want, especially during busy weeknights. It will keep without losing any flavor for about 2-3 months.
Simply defrost thee sauce a few hours before at room temp[erature and reheat on low until heated through.
Which wine to pair with Cavatelli with Spicy Italian Sausage
Italian wines offers several varieties that pairs well with this dish. A Tuscan medium-bodied red wine such as Chianti, or San Giovese balances well the fattiness of the sausage thanks to its high acidity and tannins.
Another great choice is a wine from the Veneto region, and I am a bit biased here – is Refosco. Refosco is a very old family of dark-skinned grape varieties, with its fully bodied structure pairs well with meat dishes.
If instead you prefer something sparkling go for Lambrusco, a wine from Emilia Romagna.Lambrusco wine pairs well with a variety of foods, including spicy Italian dishes.
Please let me know in the comments how you like this Cavatelli with Spicy Italian Sausage recipe, and if you make it please leave a star rating! I would really love to hear from you!
Ingredients
- 1 batch cavatelli handmade
- 1 pound sausage Spicy Italian
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra vurgin
- 3 tbsp pepper Calabrian chili
- 2 fl oz wine red, dry
- 3 tsp tomato paste
- 2 can tomatoes san Marzano
- 1 cup caciocavallo cheese, grated
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 sprig basil
- 1 sprig thyme
Instructions
- Gather all your ingredients and start by removing the casings from the sausage. Discard the casings.
- Use a skillet and place on the stove on medium heat, when hot add the sausage, breaking up the sausage as it cooks so you don’t have large pieces.
- Once the sausage has browned and is cooked through, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Leave the fat from the sausage in the pan and add the chopped onions, a pinch of Calabrian chili, the tomato paste, mix it well and then add the red wine, scraping down the bits of the sausage.
- Once the wine has evaporated add the tomatoes and mash the with a wooden spoon. Add a sprig of basil and a sprig of thyme. Let it simmer for 20 minutes on medium.
- Remove the herbs and then add the sausage you kept aside. Let is cook on slow for other 40 minutes, until all the flavor are combined.
- While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of hot water to boil, add salt and add the cavatelli. Cook them for 9 minutes ion freshly made, or if fry simply follow the instruction on the package.
- Remove them with a slotted spoon and add them to the sauce. Mix them and add a few tablespoon of pasta cooking water. Add a few tablespoon of the Caciocavallo cheese and mix until combined.
- Plate them and sprinkle them with a drizzle of EVOO and some freshly coarsely grated Caciocavallo cheese , more Calabrian chili pepper and some fresh basil.
Notes
Nutrition
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