This pasta dish combines the savoury richness of Italian sausage meatballs with crispy bacon in a light, creamy sauce with a fresh twist of lemon. It’s a weeknight dinner that’s quick to prepare but doesn’t skimp on flavour.
The star of this recipe is the trottole pasta – little twisted spirals that hold the sauce brilliantly. The name actually means “spinning tops” in Italian, which is exactly what they look like. Of course, if you can’t find trottole, any short pasta shape will work well here.
I’ve found that removing the sausage meat from its casing and rolling it into small meatballs gives you much more flavour throughout the dish than simply slicing the sausages. It takes a bit more time, but it’s worth the effort. The meatballs brown nicely in the pan alongside the bacon, creating those lovely caramelised bits that add depth to the sauce.
The cream sauce is deliberately light – just enough double cream to coat the pasta without being heavy. The lemon zest and juice brighten everything up, cutting through the richness of the meat and adding a fresh dimension that you wouldn’t get in a traditional carbonara.
Speaking of which, this isn’t trying to be an authentic carbonara at all – there are no eggs involved, and some might raise an eyebrow at the addition of cream and lemon. But it’s inspired by those same principles of creating a silky sauce that clings to each piece of pasta.
I like to finish the dish with fresh parsley and a good crack of black pepper. If you’re serving this to company, a little extra grated Parmesan on top never goes amiss. It’s straightforward, satisfying food that doesn’t need any fancy technique or special equipment – just good ingredients.
Creamy Sausage & Bacon Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 slices of streaky bacon, chopped
- 6 Italian sausages, skin removed & each sausage meat rolled into 8 small balls
- 3 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp double cream
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- Zest & juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp garlic oil
- 500g trottole pasta
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil for the pasta.
- Meanwhile, remove the skins from the sausages and roll each sausage into 8 small meatballs (48 in total).
- Heat 1 tbsp of garlic oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes until beginning to crisp.
- Add the sausage meatballs to the pan and cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and cooked through.
- While the meat is cooking, add the trottole pasta to the boiling water and cook according to packet instructions until al dente (usually 10-12 minutes).
- In a small bowl, mix together the double cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese.
- When the pasta is cooked, reserve 120ml of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Add the drained pasta to the pan with the bacon and sausage meatballs. Pour in the cream and lemon mixture, along with 2-3 tbsp of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together until the pasta is well coated.
- Add the chopped parsley and an additional tablespoon of garlic oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash more of the reserved pasta water.
- Serve immediately, with extra Parmesan cheese if desired.
