NIGEL SLATER’S PASTA WITH SAUSAGE, BASIL AND MUSTARD

A creamy, cozy pasta perfect for National Pasta Month

A British Chef, Italian Sausage, and a Perfect Pasta Supper

I’m a sucker for three things: Italian sausage, cream sauces, and pasta. Throw a handful of basil on top for color and I’m done. This dish — Nigel Slater’s Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard — hits all those notes. It’s the perfect dinner for early fall nights, especially with a simple end-of-summer tomato salad alongside. But I had to ask myself — why was an English chef fooling around with pasta? I suppose I could say the same thing about myself, but curiosity got the better of me. Down the rabbit hole I went, and I came back with far more than a 30-minute supper.

Who Is Nigel Slater?

Nigel Slater is one of Britain’s most beloved food writers — and one of its most quietly compelling storytellers. The author and art director of 17 cookbooks and the winner of as many awards, Slater’s work is deeply personal and lyrical. His memoir Toast: The Story of a Boy’s Hunger became a BBC film starring Helena Bonham Carter and Freddie Highmore, and you can still stream it on Netflix. If you’re a fan of culinary weepies, grab a tissue.

A Childhood Shaped by Toast

Born in Wolverhampton in England’s West Midlands, Nigel was the son of a factory owner and a mother who couldn’t cook to save her life. Everything came from a can — vegetables, ham, you name it. Many dinners ended with the food scraped straight into the bin, replaced by (you guessed it) toast. When his mother died of asthma at just 9, Nigel’s father quickly remarried their housekeeper — renamed “Joan” in the movie to protect the guilty. She’s portrayed as the classic 1960s villain: snobbish, jealous, and infuriatingly secretive about her recipes. In one of the film’s most poignant scenes, Nigel tries to crack her lemon meringue pie recipe. He literally counts eggshells in the trash to replicate it. When he finally succeeds, “Joan” hurls his version onto the floor in a fit of rage.

A Toast to Nigel Slater

There’s a quote of his that I adore: “It is impossible not to love someone who makes toast for you.” For a man who grew up on charred bread and canned peas, Slater has given us the gift of flavor, comfort, and tenderness — one plate of pasta at a time. Here’s the recipe followed by some other great pastas on Chewing the Fat…

Pasta with Sausage, Basil and Mustard from Nigel Slater

October 15, 2025

Servings: 4 to 6

Total: 25 min

Difficulty: Easy Peasy

For a man who grew up on charred bread and canned peas, Slater has given us the gift of flavor, comfort, and tenderness — one plate of pasta at a time.

By: Monte Mathews

Ingredients

• 1 lb penne or medium shells
• 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 8 hot Italian sausages, casings removed (about 1½ lbs)
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 3 Tbsp grainy mustard
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• 1 cup basil leaves, thinly sliced or whole

Directions

• Step 1 Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, 12–14 minutes.
• Step 2 Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown for about 5 minutes.
• Step 3 Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the browned bits, until reduced by half (about 5 minutes).
• Step 4 Stir in the cream, crushed red pepper, and mustard. Simmer 2 minutes.
• Step 5 Remove from heat, toss with drained pasta, and serve topped with basil.

Here’s a whole catalogue of great Pasta Recipe on Chewing The Fat so that you can celebrate pasta every day of the week if you’d like to.

https://chewingthefat.us.com/?s=Pasta

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