Creamy Sausage and Fennel Pasta 

This sausage and fennel pasta is a quick, cosy dinner made with Italian sausage, pecorino & a creamy crème fraîche sauce. The first time I tried fennel I expected a strong liquorice flavour, but it turns mild and slightly sweet when cooked – honestly such a nice surprise! If you enjoy creamy comfort pastas like my Easy Ragu Bianco, you’ll love this one too. Creme fraiche keeps the sauce smooth and lighter than cream, so you can make this fennel and sausage pasta again and again.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Fast meal: This sausage and fennel pasta takes less than 30 minutes to make, including prep! My Cream of Mushroom Chicken is another option that takes about the same time.
• Comfort food: This version uses crème fraîche instead of heavy cream for a slightly tangy, lighter sauce popular in UK home cooking. The sauce is so deliciously creamy, and paired with the sausage it turns into a proper comfort meal.
• Easy and flavorful: Using good-quality sausage, pecorino, and creme fraiche means most of the flavour is already built in, so you get a nice sauce without loads of extra ingredients. Make sure to try my Healthy Chicken Lasagna for another flavourful dinner option.

If you like creamy pastas like this, try this Prawn and Chorizo Pasta, Easy Boursin Cheese Baked Pasta, or Creamy Philadelphia Chicken Pasta.

Ingredients for Sausage and Fennel Pasta

You need very few ingredients to make this sausage and fennel pasta. Here are the main ones:

• Sausages: Italian sausage works best here because it’s already seasoned with fennel and herbs, which deepens the flavour of the sauce as it cooks – it’s what I reach for every time I make fennel sausage pasta. Sweet, mild, or spicy sausages all work well. You can substitute another sausage like chorizo if needed – just cook it first to build flavour.
• Creme fraiche: This adds a creamy texture with a slight tang that balances out the richness of the sausage. It’s also less likely to split than cream, which makes the sauce way more forgiving. I use it in this Creamy Leftover Ham Pasta too for a similar reason. I’ve had far fewer disasters with creme fraîche!
• Fennel: Fennel seeds give the sausage fennel pasta a slightly sweet flavour. Once cooked, the flavour becomes mild and aromatic rather than that strong liquorice taste most people worry about.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations/ Adaptations

Easily adapt this sausage and fennel pasta to suit what you have:

• Vegan option: If you follow a vegan diet, you can make a few swaps to the ingredients and enjoy a meat- or dairy-free option. Instead of creme fraiche, use dairy-free sour cream or heavy cream. Swap out the pecorino for a non-dairy cheese and use a meat-free sausage. Substitute chicken stock for veggie stock.
• Make it creamier: Add double cream or cream cheese if you want an even more decadent fennel sausage pasta recipe. If you’re craving something really creamy, make sure to give my Creamy Rice with Garlic & Parmesan a try.
• Switch up the ingredients: You can swap the sausage for ground meat to make a meat sauce, or add some sauteed onions and tomatoes to create a creamy tomato sauce similar to this One-Pan Mince Pasta.
• Try other pasta shapes: Instead of rigatoni noodles, feel free to use other pasta shapes, like ziti and penne. You can also make this dish lower carb using zucchini or spaghetti squash noodles.

Pair this with one of these protein-rich mains for an even tastier meal: The Best Garlic Prawns, Creamy Mustard Chicken, or Frozen Fish Fingers in Air Fryer.

How to make sausage and fennel pasta

1. Start by adding half of the oil and the broken sausages into a large, non-stick frying pan. Fry over a high heat and leave for 3 minutes to brown (Image 1).
2. Stir and continue to fry, maximising browning as much as possible. After 8 minutes, remove the sausage and set aside (Image 2).

3. Add the onion into the pan and reduce the heat to medium/low. Season with salt and pepper and fry for around 4 minutes (Image 3).

4. Once the onion is translucent, add the garlic and fennel seeds. Fry for 2 minutes over a low heat (Image 4).

5. Then add your rigatoni to heavily salted boiling water. Set your timer to the packet time minus 2 minutes (Image 5).

6. Steam the broccoli over the pasta pan for 4 – 5 minutes (Image 6).

7. Add the creme fraiche. Cook for a minute, then add two thirds of the sausage back into the pan (reserving some for the topping), half of the pecorino and the cornflour slurry (cornflour + water) into the pan and stir through. Season with pepper (Image 7).

8. Cook for a minute to bring up to temperature, then slowly pour the stock into the pan, whilst continuously stirring (Image 8).

9. Pour the drained, al dente pasta into the pan and stir through, reserving extra pasta water to use as necessary. Cook over a low heat until the sauce is coating the pasta nicely and is well incorporated (Image 9).

10. Serve with the steamed broccoli and top with the reserved browned sausage, a crack of black pepper and grated pecorino (Image 10).

Use leftover sausage to make Healthy Crustless Pizza Bowl,Easy Sausage Tray Bake with Vegetables, or Italian Sausage Stuffed Peppers.

Serving Suggestions

If you’re serving this sausage and fennel pasta with something on the side, a rocket salad with sun-dried tomatoes is my top pick, or the Jennifer Aniston salad if you want something a bit more filling.

For veg, crispy honey balsamic brussel sprouts work so well with the fennel and sausage flavours, air fryer frozen green beans with garlic and butter are great when you just need something green on the plate fast, and this collard greens seasoning will make a humble bunch of greens just SO much better.

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

Refrigerator: Allow the sausage and fennel pasta to cool fully before putting it into an airtight container (or multiple containers for meals during the week). This dish will stay good in the fridge for up to three days.

Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing recipes with dairy, as the sauce tends to separate. However, you can freeze leftovers if you really need to. They will last for up to three months in the freezer. To defrost, place the pasta in the fridge overnight.

Reheat: You can microwave the leftovers in a pinch, however the sauce will likely separate a bit with this method. I find it’s best to reheat the leftovers on the stove with a tiny bit of heavy cream, chicken stock, or pasta water (if there’s any you saved).

Sausage and Fennel Pasta FAQs

Try some delicious soup recipes like Tomato & Lentil Soup, Creamy Parsnip Soup or Carrot and Coriander Soup.