Tuscan Sausage Paccheri from The Monday Pasta Club

150g (5½oz) paccheri olive oil, for frying

4 good-quality pork sausages, skins removed

6 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely sliced

5 tablespoons double

(heavy) cream

125g (4½oz) baby spinach leaves

Salt and pepper

Put the paccheri in a large pan of boiling well-salted water. Cook until al dente, using the timing on the packet instructions as your guide.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Pour a generous glug of oil into a large frying pan (skillet). Place over a high heat and then add the sausage meat to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small bite-size chunks then fry roughly 5 minutes until golden brown and the meat starts to develop a dark golden crust and become crisp. After about 5 minutes turn down the heat to medium–low and add the sun-dried tomatoes and garlic. Fry for 1 minute until fragrant then add the cream. Season well with salt and pepper and stir everything together.

Leave to gently simmer while the pasta finishes cooking. Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the paccheri to the sauce, along with a splash of the cooking water. Add the baby spinach and toss everything together over the heat for a minute or two until the sauce coats the pasta and the spinach has wilted. If the sauce is looking a little thick, loosen it with another splash of the cooking water until it has a good consistency. Divide between 2 bowls.