A comforting bowl of Italian sausage pasta straight from the heart of Umbria—this is our homemade take on the legendary Pasta alla Norcina we tasted in Norcia.
Like authentic Italian food? Check out our Italian meatballs, pasta carbonara, Bucatini all'Amatriciana, or Chicken Cacciatore.
From rural Italy to your table
Just a few days ago, Louise and I were walking the quiet cobblestone streets of Norcia, a tiny Umbrian town tucked into the Sibillini Mountains, famous for its prosciutto, truffles, and rustic mountain cuisine.
We made a special stop at Ristorante Granaro del Monte, one of the oldest restaurants in all of Italy, to try their take on the region’s most iconic dish: Pasta alla Norcina - which is the most famous Italian sausage pasta!
It was everything we hoped for—rich without being heavy, creamy without a drop of cream, and full of that deep, savory sausage flavor that makes Umbrian food so comforting.
Similar to our crispy gnocchi recipe, we use good quality cheese to make a creamy sauce.
Now that we’re back in our kitchen in Todi, we had to recreate it. This version stays true to the simplicity of the original, using everyday ingredients that come together in the most soulful way. If you’ve never been to Norcia, this bowl of pasta might just be the next best thing.
Ingredients
For quantities, see recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Rigatoni: substitute penne, mezzemaniche, or a long pasta like tagliatelle or tagliolini.
- Extra virgin olive oil.
- Onion, finely chopped.
- Garlic clove, grated (optional, for garlic lovers).
- Italian sausage (no fennel): you can substitute half of the sausage with thinly sliced guanciale.
- Dry white wine (optional).
- Whole milk ricotta: substitute sheep's ricotta (more traditional but hard to find outside of Italy).
- Pecorino Romano: substitute Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano.
Variations
- 🐷 Sausage & Guanciale: Use half sausage and half guanciale. Crisp the guanciale first, then cook the sausage in its fat. That’s how I had it in a few traditional spots in Norcia.
- 🍂 Black Truffle: Stir truffle paste into the ricotta or finish with a drizzle of truffle oil. Fresh truffle shaved on top? Pure Norcia magic.
- 🍄🟫 Sausage & Mushrooms: Sauté mushrooms (like cremini or porcini) after the onions and garlic, then add the sausage. They bring a deep, earthy flavor that fits right in.
How to Make Italian Sausage Pasta Norcina
Step 1: Make the Sausage Sauce – While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the grated garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the sausage, removing the skin and breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Cook until browned and cooked through, about 7-8 minutes.
Step 2: Deglaze with Wine – Pour the white wine into the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the wine simmer for about 3-4 minutes until slightly reduced.
Step 3: Make it Creamy – Reduce the heat to low. Stir in the ricotta cheese, mixing well to create a creamy sauce. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce seems too thick. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Step 4: Cook the Pasta – Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Step 5: Combine and Serve – Add the drained pasta directly into the skillet with the sauce. Toss everything together, adding more pasta water as needed to achieve a silky, cohesive sauce. Sprinkle the grated pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano) over the pasta and toss again until well combined. Serve immediately, with extra cheese and freshly cracked black pepper on top if desired.
Tips
- Use high-quality Italian sausage: Choose a fresh Italian sausage—avoid anything too spicy or heavily herbed, which can overpower the delicate balance of the sauce.
- Sauté low and slow: Cook the onions gently until they're soft and sweet, not browned. This builds a flavorful base. Add the garlic just at the end to avoid burning it.
- Deglaze with dry white wine: While this is optional, a splash of dry white wine helps lift all those delicious browned bits from the pan and balances the richness of the sausage and ricotta. Let it simmer and reduce before adding ricotta.
- Season with caution: Sausage and pecorino are already salty, so taste the sauce before adding more salt. A few cracks of fresh black pepper go a long way.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any Italian sausage, but to stay true to the authentic recipe I would go for a mild-one without herbs and spices - keep it simple and pork-based.
Sure you can. But it will change the flavor of the dish, loosing richness and depth.
No! There's no heavy cream in Norcina. Ricotta is used instead. Ricotta gives a delicate creaminess without the heaviness, and it stays true to the rustic Umbrian roots of the dish.
Yes, you can. Around Norcia many restaurants serve variations with both, black truffle being the most common variation. While the mushrooms should be sautéed before adding the sausage, or in a separate skillet, fresh truffle should not be cooked. Simply shave it thinly, or grate it, on top of the dish before serving. If you have black truffle paste, stir it into the pasta.
More Italian-Inspired Recipes
- Chicken Saltimbocca
- Chicken Marsala
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
- Lemon Chicken
- Baked Cod
- Tuscan Cod
- Linguine with Clam Sauce
- Modern Cacio e Pepe
If you tried this Italian Sausage Pasta recipe or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Recipe
Italian Sausage Pasta - Norcina
Ingredients
- 12 oz rigatoni sub your favorite pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic grated
- 10 oz Italian sausage fresh
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano sub Parmigiano Reggiano
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Sauté 1 small onion (chopped) in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat (5 min). Add 1 clove garlic (grated) and cook 30 sec.Add 10 oz Italian sausage to the onion, removing skin, breaking it up, until fully cooked and browned (7-8 min).
- Deglaze with ½ cup dry white wine, scraping the pan; simmer 3 min.Stir in 1 cup whole milk ricotta, adding pasta water as needed for a creamy sauce. Season with salt and black pepper.
- Cook 12 oz rigatoni in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.Combine pasta with sauce, toss to coat. Turn heat off and stir in ½ cup Pecorino Romano. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Rigatoni — or penne, mezzemaniche, tagliatelle, or tagliolini
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Onion, finely chopped
- Garlic (optional, for garlic lovers)
- Italian sausage (no fennel) — or half sausage, half guanciale
- Dry white wine (optional)
- Whole milk ricotta — or sheep’s ricotta, if available
- Pecorino Romano — or Parmigiano Reggiano / Grana Padano
- 🐷 Sausage & Guanciale: Use half sausage and half guanciale. Crisp the guanciale first, then cook the sausage in its fat. That’s how I had it in a few traditional spots in Norcia.
- 🍂 Black Truffle: Stir truffle paste into the ricotta or finish with a drizzle of truffle oil. Fresh truffle shaved on top? Pure Norcia magic.
- 🍄🟫 Sausage & Mushrooms: Sauté mushrooms (like cremini or porcini) after the onions and garlic, then add the sausage. They bring a deep, earthy flavor that fits right in.
- Use high-quality Italian sausage: Choose a fresh Italian sausage—avoid anything too spicy or heavily herbed, which can overpower the delicate balance of the sauce.
- Sauté low and slow: Cook the onions gently until they're soft and sweet, not browned. This builds a flavorful base. Add the garlic just at the end to avoid burning it.
- Deglaze with dry white wine: While this is optional, a splash of dry white wine helps lift all those delicious browned bits from the pan and balances the richness of the sausage and ricotta. Let it simmer and reduce before adding ricotta.
- Season with caution: Sausage and pecorino are already salty, so taste the sauce before adding more salt. A few cracks of fresh black pepper go a long way.
Karen says
Just made this tonight for my family and WOW… absolutely delicious! I’ve never had Pasta alla Norcina before, but this was so easy to follow and came out perfectly creamy and flavorful. I used penne since that’s what I had, and added a little truffle oil at the end like you suggested, total game changer! Even my picky teenager went back for seconds. Thank you for bringing a taste of Italy into our kitchen!
Nico Pallotta says
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for your lovely comment! We're so happy to hear the recipe worked so well for you — and that even your teenager went back for seconds (always a win!). Penne is a perfect substitute, and that touch of truffle oil at the end is exactly what we love to do too. Sending a big hug from our kitchen here in Todi — grazie mille for cooking along with us!
– Nico & Louise