2 Cheese Pasta With Pancetta & Sausage

This is amazing! I am vegetarian, but cook food like this for my family. They LOVE this kind of food. It is very easy, and everyone loves it!

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 3  cups ricotta cheese, drained through fine strainer 30 minutess
• 1  lb penne, rigata or 1  lb ziti pasta or 1  lb  similar pasta
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  ounces pancetta, chopped
• 1⁄2 lb  sweet bulk Italian sausage or 1⁄2 lb  sausage links, with casing removed
• 2  tablespoons  finely chopped garlic
• 4  fresh sage leaves, finely chopped, about 2 tb (or one-half amount of dried rubbed sage)
•  salt & pepper, to taste
•  red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1⁄4 cup  freshly grated romano cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to directions for al dente.
2. Heat a large sauté pan over med-high; add oil, then pancetta and sausage.
3. Brown, breaking up sausage as it cooks, around 4 minutes.
4. Remove all except 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil from pan; add garlic and sauté another minute.
5. Vigorously stir the ricotta until smooth; add to pan with sage, salt and pepper.
6. Stir until cheese combines with the sausage. If you like, add pepper flakes.
7. Drain pasta reserving about 1/2 cup of the liquid.
8. Add pasta to sauce with as much liquid needed to loosen sauce.
9. Add Romano cheese and toss well for about 1 minute.
10. Remove from heat and serve right away.
11. You may use more Romano if desired.