Potato, Saffron and Sausage Pasta

An good Italian sausage pasta served with a good potato and saffron sauce. This recipe is creamy and comforting and so unbelievably good, a must-try!

This recipe is so incredibly good and can be eaten all year round. It's cosy and comforting on a cold day but as good and satisfying during the summer.

It's made with a creamy potato and saffron sauce and umami-rich Italian sausages.

The creaminess comes from the texture of the starchy potatoes (there's no actual cream involved) and the sausages and onion adds a salty sweetness making it so extra good and we can't get enough.

See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos and our top tips. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Pasta – we used rigatoni but you can use any pasta you like (we recommend using a short pasta shape).
• Potatoes – we used Vivaldi potatoes which are creamy and butter in texture. If possible use waxy potatoes but Maris Piper or Russets also work.
• Saffron – saffron can be quite strong so you only need a small pinch of it (around 1/2 teaspoon ish).
• Italian sausages – we used Italian sausages from Siena with fennel seeds in them but any Italian sausages will work as long as they aren't spicy.
• Tropea onion – these onions are sweet and good, if you can't find them you can use a shallot, white or red onion.

Visual walk-through of the recipe

1. Cook the potatoes – peel and cut the potatoes into cubes. Boil them in plenty of salted water until soft (photos 1 and 2).
2. Infuse the saffron – Put the saffron in a small ramekin and pour about 1/2 a tablespoon of the hot potato water over it to infuse. Let it sit while the potatoes are cooking (photo 3).

1. Make the puree – remove the potatoes with a slotted spoon to a bowl and add the saffron, Parmigiano Reggiano, olive oil and salt and pepper. Blitz until smooth using an immersion blender (photos 4 and 5).
2. Pasta – add the pasta to the same water you boiled the potatoes in and cook until al dente.
3. Cook the sausages – remove the sausages from their skins and fry them until brown and slightly crispy. Remove from the pan to a bowl and set aside (photos 6 and 7).

1. Cook the onions – Next, saute the onions until soft (photos 8 and 9).
2. Bringing it all together – Add the sausages back to the pan (reserve some for topping) with the potato puree and a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce (photos 10 and 11).

1. Serve – add the pasta to the sauce and toss everything together (add more pasta water if needed). Serve in bowl topped with more sausage and Parmigiano Reggiano (photo 12).

Recipe tips

• Emulsifying the sauce – because the sauce is made from a potato puree it's naturally thick. Use pasta water to loosen the consistency of the sauce so it coats the pasta. You're looking for a carbonara-like consistency.
• Using an immersion blender – We find this to be the easiest method for a smooth consistency. You can use a blender instead have a spatula ready to scrape out all of the potato.
• Using up leftovers – if you have any leftover pasta you can heat it up with a little water to loosen the sauce.

More pasta recipe you might like

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Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 12.3 oz (350g) rigatoni or other short pasta shape
• 1 lb (450g) waxy potatoes ((we used Vivaldi))
• 3 Italian sausages ((about 240g/8.5 oz))
• 1 Tropea onion (thinly sliced (can also use shallot, white or red onion))
• 1 small pinch saffron ((about ½ teaspoon))
• 1-2 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano
• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium-sized cubes. Boil the potatoes until cooked through (about 10 minutes).

2. Add the saffron to a small ramekin and pour about ½ tablespoon of hot water from the potatoes on top. Leave it to infuse while the potatoes are cooking.

3. When the potatoes are cooked, remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a bowl. Add the saffron and water, 1 tablespoon of grated Parmigiano Reggiano, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

4. Blitz everything to a super smooth puree using an immersion blender. Check for seasoning and add any salt if needed.

5. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente.

6. Meanwhile, remove the sausages from their skins and fry them in a large pan, breaking the meat up with a wooden spoon. Once cooked, remove the sausages to a bowl and set aside.

7. Saute the onion until soft in the same pan until soft (add a little olive oil if needed).

8. When the pasta is almost done, add most of the sausage back to the pan (keep some for topping) along with all of the potato puree. Heat it on a medium low heat and add some pasta water a little at a time to loosen it.

9. Transfer the pasta to the sauce and stir until coated adding more pasta water to help loosen the sauce.

10. Serve in bowls topped with more Parmigiano Reggiano and leftover sausage.

Kitchen notes

1. Emulsifying the sauce because the sauce is made from a potato puree it's naturally thick. Use pasta water to loosen the consistency of the sauce so it coats the pasta. You're looking for a carbonara-like consistency.
2. Using an immersion blender We find this to be the easiest method for a smooth consistency. You can use a blender instead have a spatula ready to scrape out all of the potato.
3. Using up leftovers if you have any leftover pasta you can heat it up with a little water to loosen the sauce.