The Briny Lemon: Rotini with Sausage, Basil, and Pecorino Cheese

This simple pasta dish is loaded with flavor and so easy to put together. Savory Italian sausage (spicy or mild), salty pecorino cheese, and fragrant fresh basil combine with plum tomatoes to create a rich, scrumptious sauce for whole-grain pasta. Dinner is ready in about half an hour.

Note: When you use canned tomatoes, try to buy the best quality you can, without any added ingredients, such as herbs, garlic, or onions. Add those items fresh yourself, and look for canned tomatoes that include…well, tomatoes. And a little sea salt. For this recipe, I used peeled plum tomatoes, but other varieties will work fine.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 28-oz can whole plum tomatoes, drained
8 oz whole-grain rotini
2 tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 hot (or mild) Italian sausage links (about 3/4 lb), casings removed and sausage pinched into small pieces
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
10 basil leaves, roughly chopped
3/4 cup finely grated pecorino cheese, divided

Hot Italian Sausages

Pinched Sausage Pieces

Preparation

Place the drained tomatoes in a bowl and roughly crush them with your fingers. Set aside.
Cook the pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente, 9-10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and cook, stirring often, until tender, about 4 minutes.
Add the sausage and cook, stirring often, until browned, 6-7 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and reserved pasta water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the sauce is thick, 14-15 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add the basil, cooked pasta, and half the pecorino cheese, stirring well to combine.