Sausage meatball & sprout pasta

Name: Sausage meatball & sprout pasta
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 400 g Waitrose Conchiglie Rigate Pasta; 450 g pork sausagemeat with black pepper & nutmeg, or Christmas flavoured sausagemeat of choice; 1 tbsp Essential Olive Oil; 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced; 200 g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and finely shredded; 300 ml Essential British Crème Fraîche; 1 tsp anchovy paste; 4 sprig/s thyme, leaves stripped; 25 g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra to serve; or 1/5 whole nutmeg, finely grated

A much-loved pasta dish from Ed Smith's house to yours. Sweetly-spiced sausagemeat makes a speedy, flavoursome meatball, and shredded sprouts might be the best form of that veg. Wholesome and comforting, it’s a Christmas winner.

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Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare20 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time35 mins

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400g Waitrose Conchiglie Rigate Pasta
450g pork sausagemeat with black pepper & nutmeg, or Christmas flavoured sausagemeat of choice
1 tbsp Essential Olive Oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
200g Brussels sprouts, trimmed and finely shredded
300ml Essential British Crème Fraîche
1 tsp anchovy paste
4 sprig/s thyme, leaves stripped
25g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, plus extra to serve
¼ x or 1/5 whole nutmeg, finely grated

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Meanwhile, roll 16 walnut-sized pieces of sausagemeat into small balls.
Place a large sauté pan (big enough to hold the meatballs in 1 layer) over a medium-high heat, add the olive oil and meatballs, then fry for 4-5 minutes, shuffling the pan occasionally so they colour a little but are still soft and not quite cooked through.
Stir in the garlic and sprouts, then sauté for about 1 minute, so the sprouts glisten and turn bright green. Add the crème fraîche, anchovy paste, thyme leaves and 2 tbsp water, to loosen. Let this bubble, then scatter in the parmesan and season with lots of nutmeg and ground black pepper. Simmer for 2 minutes. Check the meatballs are cooked through with no pink meat and juices that run clear.
Drain the pasta, reserving a mugful of cooking water, then add to the pasta sauce and toss well, adding reserved water to loosen as necessary. Divide between pasta bowls, with extra cheese sprinked over the top.

Cook’s tip

Adding anchovy paste gives umami-rich depth to the creamy sauce, but won’t make it taste fishy. It comes in a tube, and can be kept in the fridge for whenever a dish needs that bit of oomph. Or try adding Cooks’ Ingredients Umami Paste as an alternative.

Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe