Skip to content

Meat, Italy

Malloreddus with Sausage and Saffron

Malloreddus with sausage is a Sardinian pasta dish for 4 people, ready in 35 minutes, easy to make, for about €2.60 per serving. The key is browning the crumbled sausage meat well and dissolving the saffron in warm water first, so it flavors the whole tomato sauce.

Off to Sardinia with little ridged pasta, a tomato sauce with sausage, and a touch of saffron.

Malloreddus with Sausage and Saffron
Total time
35 min
Difficulty
Easy
Cost per person
€2.60
Calories per person
680 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall
The kids
They generally like it

Malloreddus are small ridged Sardinian pasta shells that hold onto sauce beautifully. Here, crumbled sausage meat, browned until golden, gives body to the tomato sauce, while a single pinch of saffron adds a warm color and a subtle aroma that changes everything. Grated pecorino, salty and sharp, ties the dish together with character.

This is the kind of recipe you reach for on a weeknight, since it comes together in a single pan and needs no complicated technique. Kids usually love it without hesitation, thanks to the familiar taste of sausage and tomato, while the saffron gives adults a more refined note that makes all the difference.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Malloreddus or cavatellioften in the pantry 350 g
  • Tomato passataoften in the pantry 500 g
  • Saffronoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 2 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Butcher

  • Pork sausages 5

Fruits and vegetables

  • Onion 1
  • Garlic 2 cloves
  • Basil 4 sprigs

Dairy

  • Grated pecorino 60 g

Allergens Gluten, Lactose

The step by step recipe

  1. Remove the casing from the sausages and crumble the meat into a sauté pan with the oil.

    Make a small slit in the casing with a knife, it comes off in one go.

  2. Brown the meat with the sliced onion and garlic over medium heat. 8 min

    Don't stir too much, the meat needs to color to develop flavor.

  3. Dissolve the saffron in a little hot water, pour it in with the passata, and let it simmer. 12 min

    Saffron releases its color in warm water, never pour it directly into cold sauce.

  4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in salted boiling water, then drain it. 12 min

    If you don't have malloreddus, use cavatelli or small ridged shell pasta instead.

  5. Toss the pasta with the sauce, add the basil and pecorino, and serve right away.

    Pecorino is salty, taste before adding more salt to the sauce.

Our tips to get it right

  • Pick plain pork sausages without too many added spices, so the saffron and pecorino can still shine through.
  • Save a little pasta cooking water before draining, it helps loosen the sauce if it has reduced too much.
  • Let the tomato sauce simmer on low heat rather than high, it thickens without catching and keeps a rounder flavor.

The variations

  • Swap the pork sausage for chicken sausage meat, lighter in flavor but just as tender.
  • For a vegetarian version, skip the sausage and add sliced mushrooms browned in its place, with a bit more pecorino.
  • For kids in a hurry, skip the saffron and serve a simpler sausage tomato sauce, with extra pecorino on top.

What to serve it with

  • A green salad with lemon
  • Crusty bread for the sauce
  • A glass of light red wine

Storage

Keep malloreddus with sausage for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container. The dish freezes well, sauce and pasta mixed together, for up to 2 months. Reheat in a pan or microwave with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Questions about this dish

Can you use a different pasta instead of malloreddus?

Yes, cavatelli or small ridged shell pasta work very well, since they have a similar shape that catches the sauce just as nicely.

Do you really need to dissolve the saffron first?

Yes, it matters. Saffron releases its color and aroma in warm water, while adding it straight to cold sauce makes it far less effective.

Can you make the sauce ahead of time?

Yes, you can make the sausage tomato sauce the day before and keep it in the fridge. Just reheat it and cook the pasta right before serving.

Can you replace the pecorino with another cheese?

Parmesan works if you don't have pecorino, though the flavor will be a bit less sharp. Either way, taste before adding more salt, since both cheeses are already salty.

How long does it take to make a plate of malloreddus with sausage and saffron?

Count 35 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “easy”.

How many calories are in a plate of malloreddus with sausage and saffron?

About 680 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a plate of malloreddus with sausage and saffron cost?

About €2.60 per serving, or €10.40 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten, lactose. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

Italian cuisine

See all

Cheese recipes

See all