There are many tasty pasta with sausage recipes here in Italy. But, this gramigna with sausage, peas and cream definitely ranks among my favorites. This traditional recipe from Emilia-Romagna is so easy to make andd calls for just a few ingredients. Perfect for both family meals and weeknight dinners.
Gramigna alla salsiccia, panna e piselli
Gramigna with sausage is a traditional pasta dish from Bologna in Emilia-Romagna. There are actually two popular versions of this recipe. One version that I posted here on The Pasta Project some time ago uses tomatoes instead of cream. Known simple as gramigna alla salciccia, it’s super simple and made with just 3 ingredients, Italian pork sausage, tomatoes and onions.
This gramigna with Italian sausage, peas and cream is also quite simple to make. The main difference between the 2 versions is that this one has no tomatoes. Sauces without tomatoes are referred to as ‘bianco’ in Italy, meaning white.
Instead of tomatoes, this recipe uses cream. Purists prefer to use a little milk and some parmigiano cheese to make the sauce white. However, there are many Italian recipes online with cream. I more or less followed the recipe by Italian celebrity food blogger and TV chef Chiara Maci, who I actually met recently.
Fresh or frozen peas?
Peas are a common addition to white gramigna with sausage. I like to use my own homegrown peas when available. And since they are so good, I purée some of the cooked peas to make a creamy bed for the pasta! Plus, I also add some of the puree to the sauce. This recipe can be made with fresh or frozen peas and even without the pea puree! You can just add some peas to the sauce. However, I think the puree adds an elegant touch and makes this dish extra tasty!
What is gramigna pasta?
Gramigna is an unusual pasta. It is mostly eaten only in Emilia-Romagna. Originally, it was a homemade fresh pasta, but nowadays you can find it dried too. This pasta is hollow and short, a bit like small bucatini. However, it’s not straight but squiggly! How squiggly depends on whether it’s homemade or dried.
The name ‘gramigna’ is actually the Italian name for couch grass, a very invasive type of weed! I fight a constant battle in my garden against couch grass! You can read more in my gramigna post.
For this gramigna with sausage, peas and cream, I used white and green gramigna. There are a number of types of pasta that Italians make and sell or serve in these two colours. But, this is mostly done with egg pasta and the green colour is made by adding fresh spinach to the pasta dough. Italians call this bi-coloured pasta ‘paglia e fieno’, meaning straw and hay.
Other pasta you can use
If gramigna is not available where you live, this recipe is very good with other small pasta tubes such as penne or ditali. However, you may be able to find gramigna pasta for sale online. Companies that make it include De Cecco, Divella and Granoro.
What kind of sausage should you use for this gramigna recipe?
Like many traditional Italian recipes, the original gramigna with sausage is made with local ingredients. Each Italian region makes local types of sausage. Some add herbs or spice to the meat for flavour. For example, in Sicily, they make pork sausages with wild fennel or fennel seeds in them.
This recipe calls for very simple Italian pork sausages. I used a fresh Italian sweet pork sausage known as salamella. This type of sausage often includes pancetta, garlic and wine along with pork shoulder. I would suggest using very simple pork sausages made without a lot of added herbs or spices.
Italian sausages with fennel would change the taste of the finished dish. But, I think those with rosemary would work as this recipe includes rosemary in it.
Other sausage pasta recipes.
I have developed a great love for pasta with sausage! When I first started The Pasta Project, I’d never cooked pasta with sausage. Now, I do it very very often. Among my favourites are pasta alla Norcina from Umbria and bigoli with luganega sausage, a recipe from here in Veneto where I live.
I also really like a Sicilian pasta recipe made with broccoli, sausage and chard. And, now I’m adding this gramigna with sausage, peas and cream to my favourite sausage pasta recipes.
Other ingredients
Apart from the peas, sausage and pasta, this recipe has white wine (which you can leave out if you prefer), rosemary, onion, cream and vegetable broth.
Wine: I used a local Soave classico since I live in the Soave DOC area of Veneto. Soave is a dry white wine made with mostly Garganega grapes (70%) with a Trebbiano di Soave, Chardonnay or Pinot Bianco. You can substitute the Soave with Pinot Grigio, Gavi or Sauvignon Blanc.
Rosemary: I used fresh rosemary from my garden. You can sub with dried rosemary if fresh isn’t available.
Onion: The onion in this recipe is sautéed in two separate steps, with the peas and with the sausage meat. I used a yellow onion but white onions work well too.
Cream: Italians often use a long life heavy cream in cooking called ‘panna da cucina’. This is not fresh but comes in small boxes! However, I also use fresh cream.
Vegetable broth: You only need a cup of vegetable broth so homemade isn’t necessary unless you already have some. I used a ready-made store bought organic vegetable broth. You can also use.
Olive oil: Olive oil is used to sauté the onion. As is traditional in most Italian pasta recipes, I used olive oil. You don’t need extra virgin olive oil. Just a good quality oil.
Step by Step instructions.
Preparation: Peel and finely chop the onion and remove the sausage meat from the casing and crumble with your fingers until it resembles ground meat.
Step 1) Sauté one third of the onion in a pan with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. Once the onion has softened, add the peas and the vegetable broth. Simmer until the peas are cooked. Salt to taste.
Step 2) Sauté the rest of the onion in a large skillet with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the onion has softened, add the sausage meat and chopped rosemary leaves.
3) Brown the sausage meat over a medium heat. Keep turning it so it browns all over. Pour in the wine and allow the alcohol to evaporate whilst deglazing the pan by scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon or spatula.
4) Add half the peas with some of the broth they cooked in. and simmer everything together for 5 minutes.
5) Add the cream to the sausage and peas. Mix everything together and cook for 5 mintes more over a very low heat.
6) Purée the rest of the peas and broth using an immersion blender or food processor. Then add half the purée to the sausage, cream and peas.
7) Add 2 tablespoons of grated Paarmigiano to the sauce. Mix together and set aside whilst you cook the pasta.
Finish and serve.
8) Cooking the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet with the sauce.
9) Add the drained pasta to the sausage, cream and peas sauce. Toss the pasta with the sauce.
10) Finally, spread some of the remaining pea purée over the bottom of each plate and place the ready gramigna with sausage, cream and peas on top. Serve immediately with more grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper.
What to do with leftovers.
If you do have leftovers (you may not), you can keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for 2-3 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing leftover gramigna with sausage because of the cream. You can reheat leftovers in the oven sprinkled with some grated cheese on top or fried in butter or in the microwave.
Let me know what you think.
This gramigna recipe is really so easy to make and flavorful. It reheats well in the oven or microwave, so you can easily prepare it in advance. Perfect for weeknight dinners and family meals.
If you make this gramigna with sausage, peas and cream, I’d love to hear how it turns out and if you liked it. Please leave a comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon appetito!
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Other pasta recipes from Emilia-Romagna.
Gramigna pasta with Italian Sausage, Peas and Cream.
This tasty traditional gramigna pasta with sausage recipe from Bologna is easy to make, yet full of flavour. Perfect for both family meals and weeknight meals, you only need 30-40 minutes to have this delicious dish on the table. Of course you can use your favorite short pasta too.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces gramigna pasta or other short pasta such as penne
- 3-4 Italian pork sausages casing removed
- 1 onion depending on size. peeled and chopped
- 12 ounces peas fresh or frozen
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken broth
- 2.5 ounces white wine
- 6 ounces heavy cream fresh or long life
- 3-4 tablespoon olive oil
- rosemary fresh or dried
- salt for pasta and to taste
- ground black pepper to taste
- 2 ounces Parmigiano cheese grated
Instructions
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Bring water to a boil in a saucepan for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onions. Remove sausage casing and crumble the meat with your hands or chop with a knife. Remove rosemary leaves from sprig if using fresh rosemary.
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Cook the peas in a saucepan in which you have sautéed some of the finely chopped onion in olive oil and added a cup of broth or stock. Cook until ready but still firm. Fresh peas will take longer than frozen peas.
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Fry the rest of the onion in the olive oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Once the onion starts to soften add the sausage meat and rosemary.
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Let the sausage brown a little and then add the white wine. Let the alcohol evaporate and add half the peas. Add salt if necessary, I didn’t add it since the sausage was already a bit salty. Add black pepper and then the cream. Cook everything together for 5 minutes.
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Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet.
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While the pasta is cooking purée the rest of the peas using an immersion blender or food processor.If necessary add some of the pasta cooking water if the puree seems too thick. Add half the puree to the sausage sauce. Stir to combine.
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Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sausage, pea and cream sauce. Mix everything together well.
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Put some of the remaining pea puree in the bottom of each bowl or plate and top with the gramigna with sausage, peas and cream. Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese and more pepper to taste.
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Notes
You can make this recipe with other types of short pasta such as penne or ditali.
To make this recipe gluten free, use a gluten free pasta.
Nutrition
Calories: 996kcalCarbohydrates: 82gProtein: 34gFat: 57gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gMonounsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 122mgSodium: 1099mgPotassium: 716mgFiber: 8gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1512IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 258mgIron: 4mg
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