Despite the fact that these cookies don’t include either, the name “Pfeffernüsse” means “pepper-nuts.” Since they resembled nuts, these were referred to as “nuts” back when “pepper” was a general term for all spices. Despite the misleading labels, I believe this to be the greatest Christmas cookie ever. They have the ideal blend of comforting winter spices and are soft and chewy with a light layer of crunchy icing. Share a tin of these delectable cookies with your loved ones and friends!
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 10 |
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 pound hot Italian sausage
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- 2 sweet onions, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
- ¾ cup water
- 1 (48 ounce) can beef broth
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with basil
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can crushed tomatoes with basil
- ½ cup sweet wine (Optional)
- 2 sprigs fresh basil, or to taste
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese, or more to taste
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, or more to taste
- 1 (16 ounce) package farfalle (bow tie) pasta
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add hot and mild sausage; cook and stir until sausage is browned and crumbly, about 5 minutes. Add onions; cook and stir until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes more. Stir in garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.
- Add tomato paste and water; stir well to combine. Stir in beef broth, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, wine, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring soup to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until flavors combine, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook bow tie pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain.
- Mix ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan together in a bowl; season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Divide pasta among serving bowls; spoon some of the ricotta cheese mixture on top. Ladle soup over cheese mixture.
- Use fresh or frozen basil, or substitute 3 bay leaves if you prefer. Discard bay leaves before serving.
- I never cook the pasta in the soup — it gets mushy quickly, doesn’t freeze well, and soaks up all the soup broth.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 511 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 50 g |
| Cholesterol | 53 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Protein | 26 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 1529 mg |
| Sugars | 8 g |
| Fat | 22 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
First and foremost I made this recipe pretty much as written. My only sub was to use dried basil instead of fresh. I also omitted the optional wine. This recipe is similar to another recipe on Allrecipes and honestly my family preferred that one more. I was iffy about using a full teaspoon of red pepper and with good reason, it was a bit overpowering. My son that rarely comments on food being spicy thought it was too spicy. We also were not fans of the beef broth and I think it would have been better with veggie broth or chicken broth. With a few tweaks it could be an okay soup. My family rated it a 3-3.5.
There was no bow tie on store shelf so I used penne. The recipe was flavorful and perfect.
It was just okay. It needed more seasonings for flavor in my opinion and husband agreed. I might make it again, but will change up the seasoning for sure.
Followed recipe exactly. Loved the bow tie pasta in the bottom of the bowl with a spoonful of the ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese mixture on top. Then ladling the soup over the pasta and cheese was perfect. Nice blend of flavors and a step up from a regular bowl of soup. This will be one of our favorites!
Delicious!’ I serve this when entertaining. People
Love the cheese of the recipe, a smidge too hot with the red pepper and hot sausage. Added green pepper with the onion. Added more basil. Really a keeper!
Being lazy I did not follow the suggestions to cook the pasta separately. Indeed it became a big vat of pasta rather than soup the next day. But it is yummy! Don’t be afraid to add a little more meat. I will make again, and even follow the directions.
This was so easy to make and very delicious.
made it – loved it, even better second day – I substituted italian sausage for ground beef, did use the Hot Italian Sausage.
I make this soup frequently, however, I omit the pasta as called for and add fresh tortellini (Butoni ) just until it cooks at the end for a few minute- if you add it too soon – the tortellini will disintegrate. But it makes for a heartier soup
I halved the recipe because I only had 1 lb sausage. The soup definitely needs more seasoning, I added basil, onion powder and garlic powder, I also added 1 tbsp of brown sugar as it tasted very tinny from the tomato paste. I had half a green pepper to use up so I added that in, I think mushrooms, zucchini and baby spinach would be nice additions as well. I used vegetable broth for the beef and added about 1 extra cup of water after I added the pasta to make it soupier. I used whole wheat penne pasta because that is what I had. I added the pasta to the soup and heated through then served. The cheese mixture was very dry so I added some milk to it to make it scoopable, I aslo added oregano, basil and minced garlic to it. My son and his friends enjoyed the soup, especially the cheesy part. I made this for Allrecipes Allstars Canada April Challenge #ARFaceless