Being able to make dinner in under 20-minutes using just a handful of ingredients is refreshing. But it is also challenging. You have to be creative with how you use the ingredients themselves to make them stretch further.
For example, sausage is obviously the protein in this dish, but the oil/juices from the cooked links are also used to coat the pasta as part of the sauce. And, while the pasta is only used one way, the pasta water is used to help create the sauce.
Having to use each ingredient in multiple ways not only stretches your creative thinking, but it also stretches your wallet. Win-Win!
5-Ingredient Spicy Sausage Carbonara
Ingredients
- 8 ounces egg or pappardelle noodles
- 1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 links spicy Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled
- Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
Directions
- Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling water according to the package directions. Drain, reserving some of the cooking water.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the Parmesan cheese and eggs. Set aside.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and sausage. Cook, breaking up the sausage, until brown, about 5 minutes, then season with salt and pepper as needed.
- Add the drained pasta to the sausage pan and swirl until it’s mostly coated with the fat of the sausage. Remove the pan from the heat and add a spoonful or so of the pasta water along with the egg and cheese mixture. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta with the eggs and cheese. Continue to toss until the water evaporates a bit and creates a bit of a sauce.
- Add the parsley and toss again. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Adapted from: Sunny Anderson @ foodnetwork.com
Season Generously 