Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard

In 2018, Food & Wine named this recipe one of our 40 best. The pasta with sausage and mustard is perfect for a cool fall or winter evening and comes together quickly, so it’s as suited for a busy weeknight as it is a cozy weekend. Don’t be suspicious of the dish’s flavor combination; although grainy mustard, spicy sausage, crisp white wine, and fragrant basil may seem like an odd assortment to accompany pasta, the finished product is greater than the sum of its parts, a synchronized medley of tastes and textures that you’ll be craving again and again. Not only is this sausage pasta recipe fast to prepare, it necessitates just a handful of ingredients, many of which you likely already have. Any medium-sized pasta shape will do, though you’ll want to use one with adequate nooks and crannies for hanging onto the creamy mustard sauce. For even speedier prep, buy Italian sausage patties instead of links to save you the trouble of removing the casings. You’ll use less than a cup of wine here, which is a great way to polish off an open bottle if you happen to have one in the fridge. Fresh basil is the only thing you’ll need to slice; don’t skimp on it — it provides both flavor and pops of color to the mustard pasta.