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This creamy Italian sausage tomato pasta recipe is super simple to make and tastes restaurant quality! It’s a 30-minute meal that’s made with pantry ingredients.
You may also enjoy my Italian Sausage Orzo Soup or Italian Sausage Mushroom Pasta next.
Why you’ll love it
It’s easy to elevate just a few kitchen staples like canned tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and garlic to make an irresistibly silky tomato pasta sauce from scratch. I decided to add in flavorful Italian sausage, turning this into a hearty and filling weeknight dinner.
This creamy tomato pasta with sausage is ridiculously simple to throw together, and the velvety richness of the sauce perfectly complements the Italian sausage. It’s a wonderful combo that will leave you impressed with just how deceptively effortless it is!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – I use penne, but rigatoni or any other pasta shape you have on hand will work!
- Italian sausage – I chose mild. Take the meat of out the casings, or use bulk sausage.
- Garlic – it adds savory goodness
- Tomato paste – more concentrated tomato flavor. I like DeLallo or Mutti brand.
- Tomato sauce – for my international readers, use passata instead
- Heavy cream – to enhance the taste and texture of the sauce
- Italian seasoning – my go-to blend of dried herbs. It comes all in a single jar.
Helpful tips
- I like to get a really good sear on the sausage to build flavors. Cooking it over a high heat and not stirring it constantly helps!
- Need to thin the sauce out? Just add in a splash of the hot pasta water prior to draining it.
How to make creamy sausage tomato pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Boil the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, in a skillet, nicely brown the sausage meat. Break it apart with your spoon as you go along. Spoon out any excess fat and discard it. Stir in the garlic, and cook until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cream, and Italian seasoning until smooth. Simmer until desired thickness is reached. Give it a taste, season with salt & pepper, and add a pinch of sugar if needed. Toss with the drained pasta, and top with parmesan if using.
Substitutions and variations
- As always, sub the cream for a lower fat alternative at your own discretion; I don’t recommend it because the acidity from the tomatoes may curdle the sauce, and it may not thicken as well.
- A handful of fresh basil would be amazing in here! Add it in right at the end of cooking time.
- If your canned tomatoes are a bit tart, simply add in a half teaspoon or so of sugar to balance the flavors.
- For a meatless version, try my Super Easy Creamy Tomato Pasta.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- If topping with parmesan, I recommend freshly grating it from a block for best texture and taste. I use a Microplane zester.
- This is the skillet I use.
- For the tomatoes I use my trusty OXO can opener.
What to serve with sausage tomato pasta
- I like to make a fresh salad with my quick and zesty Homemade Olive Garden Dressing.
- To go all out, serve with my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread. Or simply pair with crusty bread and some good olive oil and balsamic for dipping.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover pasta for 3-4 days in the fridge, and reheat slowly over low heat until warmed through.
- It can be frozen for up to 3 months, but the texture may change due to the dairy. If you plan on freezing a lot, freeze the sauce separately and boil up fresh pasta when ready.
If you made this creamy Italian sausage tomato pasta, please leave a star rating and review below! Questions? Talk to me. Tag me on Instagram with your S&L creations.
Easy Italian Sausage Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 16 ounces Italian sausage
- 2-3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 (14 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add the sausage meat to a skillet over medium-high heat and cook for 7-10 minutes or until nicely browned, breaking it up with your spoon as you go along. If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon most of it out.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then stir in the garlic and sauté for about a minute.
- Add in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, cream, and Italian seasoning. Stir until smooth. Let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes or until it's thickened up to your liking.
- Taste and season the sauce with salt & pepper as needed. If the sauce is a little too acidic/tangy for your tastes, add in a pinch of sugar.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the skillet (add a splash of hot pasta water to the skillet prior to draining if the sauce gets too thick). Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Buy bulk Italian sausage or sausage links and take the meat out of the casings.
- I do not suggest subbing the cream with something that has a lower fat content as it may curdle due to the acid in the tomatoes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is a family favorite! My husband AND my two young boys love this (which is very rare). So easy, so simple, yet so delicious *chefs kiss*
Thanks so much, Char!! That’s great to hear! 😀
Can you use coconut cream for this? I only ask because I do not have heavy cream right now. LOL otherwise I’ll get my butt to the store!
Hi Julia!! I think it’ll taste a bit different with coconut cream and might end up a bit oily unfortunately.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was insanely delicious!! My husband said it was better than anything we’ve ever had at our favorite Italian restaurant (that was before he literally licked his plate). Also love that it was super easy to make. Thank you!!
You are very welcome!
Soooo yummy!
Thank you!! 😀
Love that it oh so simple and delicious!! Will make again for my family of 6 ☺️
That’s awesome! 😀 Thank you, Kabria!
the boys in my life loved this, super easy wonderful flavor ,followed it exactly
wonderful , thanks you
That’s so nice to hear, Trena!! You’re very welcome!
Love this recipe! I used a spicy Italian sausage which really complimented the creamy sauce. This was easy to make but really felt like an elevated dish. Will definitely be one of my new favorites.
Thank you so much!! 😀 I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, Lindsay!