Few musicians carry such celebrity prestige to be recognized with a mononym. Madonna, Cher, Bono, Prince, Beyonce, Rihanna, and Eminem are some of the most well-known. You know a musician has achieved peak fame when just one word conjures a dozen or so earworms. Sting deserves his singular name recognition with smash hits like “Every Breath You Take,” “Message in a Bottle,” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.” He has sold some 100 million records, received 17 Grammy Awards, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 as a member of The Police. It’s safe to say this megastar is incredibly busy.
That is likely why Sting’s personal chef Joe Sponzo serves the British rocker hearty yet fresh meals, so he can have enough energy to master the bass and the myriad other instruments he plays—including the guitar, mandolin, harmonica, keyboards, and panpipes.
Sting’s Favorite Pasta Is Bucatini With Sausage and Peas
Adam Dolge
Sting’s favorite pasta recipe, Bucatini with Sausage and Peas, is a “real guy dish and favorite of Sting’s…when he’s eating meat,” Sponzo wrote about the dish when contributing the recipe to the September 2007 issue of Food & Wine, per the Toronto Star. Sponzo, who has been a personal chef to Sting for many years, even co-wrote “The Lake House Cookbook” with Sting’s wife, Trudie Styler. The recipes are inspired by the food grown and raised on the couple’s working organic farm in the English countryside.
The 73-year-old British rocker has discussed the many ways he stays fit and active over the years, including adjusting his diet. Recently, he’s focused on a macrobiotic diet, which prioritizes whole grains and vegetables while avoiding ultra-processed foods.
Perhaps that’s why this pasta—which includes hot Italian sausage, a splash of heavy cream, and bucatini—feels a bit out of the norm for Sting. But as Sponzo mentions, this meal is one of Sting’s favorites when he’s eating meat. Even dating back to “The Lake House Cookbook” from 1990, Styler emphasized that she and her husband desired to eat consciously and know the origins of their food. The recipes in the cookbook were not void of meat, but the emphasis for each dish was on the intention of eating hyper-local (literally from their working farm). While this bucatini pasta was not in that cookbook, it would certainly fit alongside others like Burgundian Beef Stew, Curried Lamb Shanks, or Buttermilk Fried Chicken.
Aside from a little rendered spicy sausage, the pasta dish includes a big handful of garden-fresh peas and basil, which gives this otherwise rib-sticking pasta a pleasantly sweet, almost refreshing kick of flavor. It is a hearty, fresh pasta that’s simple to make. It’s now on full rotation in my household, and every time I make the recipe, my entire family devours it.
How to Make Sting’s Favorite Pasta Recipe
I imagine Sting ate a big serving of this pasta before an all-day rehearsal or to keep him satisfied while tilling garden beds and tending to the vineyard’s grapes. Whichever way Sting enjoys eating it, I like it for its simplicity and large chunks of inactive cook time—meaning I can get other stuff done while the sauce simmers on the stove.
Start by browning some hot Italian sausage (with the casings removed) in a large skillet or saucepan, breaking the meat up into bite-sized pieces. When I’m making it for my young kids, I switch to sweet Italian sausage because even ketchup tastes spicy to them. Once the sausage is browned, add some minced shallot and garlic and cook until fragrant. Next, add prepared tomato sauce and simmer for half an hour or until the sausage is very tender and the mixture thickens into a velvety, rich sauce.
While the sauce cooks, boil some bucatini pasta in well-salted water. This type of pasta is perfect for a rich sauce like this recipe calls for because it’s essentially a thick yet hollow tubular noodle (think, a big, hollow spaghetti). Sauce sneaks into the hollow part of the pasta, and you get bursts of saucy goodness in each bite.
To complete the sauce, add in peas (frozen are fine) and a splash of heavy cream. Adding cream to tomato sauce mellows out the acidity of the tomatoes and adds a bit of richness. Finally, finish the sauce with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and toss with the al dente pasta. Garnish the dish with freshly shredded basil leaves and add more cheese, and you have a delicious, hearty, and bright pasta that may just become one of your favorites, too.
Dining and Cooking