Tagliatelle with Smashed Peas, Sausage, and Ricotta Cheese

For my birthday, Jim gave me a cookbook (yay!) of Giada deLaurentiis' called Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites. One word sums up this book: YUM! I do not know why or how I was drawn to this recipe as the first one I made from the book, but I've made it twice now. And surprisingly, Jim ate and actually LIKED the peas. This is major.

Last time I made it I used hot (turkey) Italian sausage, this time around I used sweet (turkey) Italian sausage. Both were equally delicious... I am not sure which I preferred. Both times I used fresh, hand-cut pasta. In my mind fresh pasta really makes the dish.
This recipe serves at least 4-6 people (or 2 people with tons of leftovers). I am not complaining about the leftovers :)

Ingredients:
1 pound fresh or dried tagliatelle (I used pappardelle)
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb. hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb. frozen peas, thawed
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
1 bunch of fresh basil leaves, chopped - about 3/4 cup
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tsp. salt

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes if dry or according to package directions if fresh. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and garlic in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the garlic is fragrant. Add the sausage and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it up into bite-sized pieces. When the sausage has browned, about 5 minutes, push it over to one side of the pan. Add the peas to the pan and, using the back of the wooden spoon, smash the peas. Turn off the heat. Add the ricotta cheese to the pan and stir to combine, then add the cooked pasta and toss to coat. Add the pasta water 1/4 cup at a time, it needed, to make the pasta moist. (Both times I made this recipe, I used the entire cup of pasta water). Add the basil, Pecorino, and salt. Toss gently to combine and serve immediately.