Bow Tie Pasta with Tomatoes, Sausage and Cream

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed, crumbled (I use Hot Italian Sausage)
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 cup diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 28-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes (chopped)
1-1/2 cups whipping cream (I put this in “to taste” since it seems like a lot to me!)
Salt to taste if needed (salt in the tomatoes is usually sufficient so I’ve never had to add any)

12 ounces bow tie pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and pepper flakes. Cook until sausage is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add onion and garlic to skillet and cook until onion is tender and sausage is browned, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and cream. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly. (This is better prepared one day ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate.)

Cook pasta al dente (firm to the bite - not too soft). Divide pasta into bowls, ladle sauce over pasta. Pass Parmesan separately.

NOTE:
I add extra Italian seasonings - anise, fennel, basil, oregano, thyme or you can use a prepackaged Italian seasoning mix (Schilling, etc.).
You can use any pasta if you can't find the bow ties - larger pasta such as rigatoni or large shells are better with this recipe.
This is definitely a recipe that you do not need to follow exactly.

Added by:  Amy
Source:  Karen O'Neal