Creamy Sausage Penne

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This luscious pasta dish is one i've avoided making recently; it's not exactly a lowfat dinner and i feel guilty serving it to my husband -- neither of us should be eating such a high calorie meal. But it's so, so good! Even though i can't claim it's part of a healthy diet, i hope you try it at least once -- it's a fast, easy dish, after all! i serve this with a simple green salad.

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Steps

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Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the penne until al dente.

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Drain well and do not rinse.

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After you put the water on to boil , remove sausage meat from the casings , crumble , and set aside.

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In a large skillet , heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

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Add garlic and cayenne and saute for approximately 30 seconds , then add sausage meat to skillet.

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Cook until sausage meat is no longer pink.

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Add cream , salt , pepper and nutmeg to skillet and turn heat to high to bring mixture to a boil.

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Reduce heat and simmer , gently , until the cream reduces and the sauce thickens a bit.

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It takes about 10 minutes.

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Place cooked penne in a large serving bowl and pour sauce over.

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Add butter and cheese to bowl and combine all well.

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Taste.

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Add more salt and / or pepper if you wish.

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Sprinkle chopped herbs over top and serve.

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Ingredients

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penne pasta, olive oil, garlic, cayenne pepper, italian sausage, heavy cream, salt, fresh ground black pepper, nutmeg, unsalted butter, parmesan cheese, fresh basil, flat leaf parsley