Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta (2024)

This sausage pasta has spicy Italian sausage and bowtie pasta smothered in a yummy creamy sauce, making one of those easy dinner ideas ideal for busy weeknights.My family loves it!

How To Make Sausage Pasta

1. BROWN THE ITALIAN SAUSAGE: Heat a large pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, and lightly brown the sausage on both sides, about 4-6 minutes. PIC. 1 Remove excess oil!
2. COOK THE VEGGIES: Reduce the heat to medium and sweat the diced onions for about 3 minutes, occasionally stirring (don't let them brown). PIC. 2 Add the garlic and let cook for about 1 minute, stirring once and a while. PIC. 3
3. ADD INGREDIENTS: Stir in the Italian seasoning for about 10 seconds and add the broth while stirring to scrape the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce and the salt, then add the pasta. If you enjoy spicy foods or are adding a mild sausage, add a pinch of red pepper flakes! PICS. 4 & 5
4. COOK THE PASTA WITH SAUSAGE: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer for about 13-15 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Make sure to stir gently once in a while to prevent the pasta from sticking. If needed, add some extra broth or water (just enough for the pasta to cook). PIC. 6
5. Turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream and cream cheese if you want. Stir until creamy and hom*ogeneous (and without chunks of cream cheese). Adjust the salt! PIC. 7
6. GARNISH: Let the pasta sit for 2-3 minutes for the cream to heat through and the sauce to thicken. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese and parsley on top and serve. PIC. 8

Ingredients and Substitutions

You will need the following ingredients to make this creamy pasta dish:

For the ITALIAN Sausage Pasta:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb of your favorite hot or spicy Italian sausage, sliced. Or you can replace it with chorizo, bratwurst, linguiça (mildly spicy pork sausage from Portugal), or andouille. If you are not a fan of heat, use a mild sausage!
• 1 large yellow onion, small diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups chunky tomato sauce (I used Ragú® Chunky Tomato Garlic & Onion Sauce, or marinara sauce)
• 1 teaspoon salt, or more if desired
• 12 oz dry bowtie or farfalle pasta ( or pasta shells, orecchiette, mini penne, or mezzi rigatoni instead, or gluten-free pasta)
• ⅓ cup of heavy cream (TIP: For a creamier pasta, add also 4 oz of room temperature cream cheese, cut into chunks)

Toppings:

• Grated Parmesan cheese
• 2-3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley (or fresh basil)

Types of Italian Sausage

Italian sausage is a pork sausage, fresh or uncured in most cases, seasoned with fennel as the main ingredient plus garlic, anise, coriander, pepper, and other spices.

There are 3 kinds: Hot, Mild, and Sweet

All 3 types are made with the same ingredients, except the hot kind has an extra ingredient, Calabrian chile pepper or hot red pepper flakes while the sweet type has sweet basil which differentiates them from the mild sausage.

The spicy Italian sausage is the best in my opinion because it is more flavorful or has a kick!

FAQs

Variations

You can vary some ingredients to make this pasta recipe different every time as follows:

• Pasta: Use use pasta shells, orecchiette, mini penne, or mezzi rigatoni instead of bowtie pasta. Even spaghetti or fettuccini would be a good choice because any of these pasta go well with light creamy sauces.
• Sausage: You can use just about any sausage you enjoy. For spicy sausages, linguiça, andouille sausage, chorizo, and bratwurst are great for this sausage pasta recipe. Or you can use any sweet or mild sausage of your choice. For lower-fat versions, use chicken or turkey Italian sausage.
• Heavy Cream: For a lighter pasta sauce, I prefer to use half and half instead of heavy cream and light creamy cheese to cut down a few calories but the sauce won't be as creamy and rich.
• Add-ons: You may add fresh spinach, kale, or Swiss chard to make this pasta recipe a complete dish. Or you may add some sun-dried tomatoes, peas, mushrooms, or chopped canned artichokes.

Tips for Making Creamy Sausage Pasta

This 30-minute sausage pasta recipe is quick, easy, and uses common ingredients. It's a perfect weeknight meal and tastes as if it came from a restaurant! Here are a few tips to make the best sausage pasta ever:

• Make sure to cook your pasta al dente. This means that the pasta is tender but is still firm enough to hold its shape.
• After stirring in the cream and cream cheese, allow the pasta to sit for about 2-3 minutes so the sauce can thicken.
• For a creamier sauce, add cream cheese to the recipe. Make sure the sauce it is at room temperature and the sauce is hom*ogeneous before adding the pasta.
• For a cheesy sauce, add Parmesan to the sauce itself instead of only serving it on top of the pasta.
• For making a complete pasta dish, add veggies to the pasta.
• After browning the sausage, remove any excess oil so you don't wind up with a greasy cream sauce.
• Brown the sausage until is crisp and golden around the edges.
• Reheat the sausage pasta over low heat on the stovetop or microwave. But add some heavy cream while reheating to loosen the sauce and bring back some creaminess.

Other Italian Pasta Recipes

• Shrimp Carbonara
• Ziti al Forno
• Penne Pomodoro
• Pasta Bolognese
• Mediterranean Pasta
• Shrimp Scampi Pasta
• Spicy Vodka Pasta

PIN AND ENJOY!

POST FIRST PUBLISHED ON JUNE 15, 2015.

More Easy One Pot Meals