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This spicy Italian sausage pasta recipe is fast, easy, and uses minimal ingredients. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner that tastes like it came from a restaurant!
I think you’ll also like my Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup, Easy Italian Sausage Tomato Pasta, or this One Pan Creamy Gnocchi with Sausage.
Why you’ll love it
Italian sausage and pasta is a magical combo. This pasta recipe is ideal for those sausage and carb lovers out there (like me), naturally. Spicy Italian sausage, tomatoes, garlic, cream, lots of parmesan cheese, and a touch of fresh basil make this recipe a winner.
The sauce is creamy, but not too creamy if you know what I mean. It’s tomato-y first and foremost. I am not a huge spice person, and I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. It has just enough zing, in my opinion. And it’s ready in just 30 minutes!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – penne goes really well with this spicy Italian sausage pasta recipe. The little tubes are perfect for that sauce.
- Sausage – I chose Johnsonville hot Italian sausages
- Garlic – for added savory flavor
- Chicken broth – the base of the sauce, or use a dry white wine for a fancy touch
- Flour – to thicken the sauce
- Canned diced tomatoes – they’re convenient and canned at the peak of ripeness
- Heavy cream – it helps mellow some of that acidity from the tomatoes and spice from the sausage and make the sauce silky
- Basil – for a pop of freshness
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this skillet to make the sauce.
- This garlic press makes it simple to mince garlic with one squeeze.
- I use this measuring cup set all the time for liquid ingredients.
How to make spicy Italian sausage pasta
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Cook the pasta until al dente. Meanwhile, brown the sausage in a skillet, then transfer to a plate. Drain most of the excess fat. Add the garlic and chicken broth to the pan, then the flour. Whisk until incorporated, and scrape up the browned bits.
Let it reduce for a couple of minutes. Add in the canned tomatoes and cream, and return the sausage meat. Cook until thickened, and season with salt & pepper. Right before serving, add the basil, then toss with the drained pasta. Top with parmesan if using.
Substitutions and variations
- I like penne for this one, but you’re welcome to use another shape if you wish.
- Want to make this pasta more spicy? Add a pinch of cayenne pepper or some red pepper flakes. On the flip side, if you don’t want it to be spicy, just use mild Italian sausages.
- I don’t recommend substituting the cream for something with less fat. The sauce may curdle, and it won’t taste as intended.
What to serve with spicy sausage pasta
- A dinner roll or fresh crusty bread rounds out this meal, but you could go all out with my Cheesy Garlic Bread too!
- Craving salad? Make a Caesar salad with my 10-Minute Caesar Dressing, or try my Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover sausage pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in a saucepan slowly over a low heat.
- You could freeze this one, but keep in mind the texture of the pasta may change.
Hope you’ll love this hot Italian sausage pasta recipe! Questions? Let me know in the comments below. Please leave a star rating and review! Find me on Instagram too.
Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne
- 11 ounces hot Italian sausages see note
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or white wine
- 1/2 tablespoon flour
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Small handful fresh basil sliced/torn into small pieces
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into a skillet. Cook it for about 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until browned.
- Once the sausage is browned, take it out of the pan and transfer to a plate. If there's a lot of excess fat left in the skillet, drain most of it.
- To the skillet, add the garlic, followed by the chicken broth. Sprinkle the flour in. Whisk it until the flour has dissolved, and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook this mixture until it's significantly reduced (should only take a minute or two in total).
- Add in the tomatoes, cream, and the sausage meat. Cook the sauce for a few more minutes until it's thickened to your liking. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
- Just prior to serving, add in the torn basil leaves and then toss with the drained pasta. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- I used 3 sausages from a 5-pack of Johnsonville hot Italian sausages. Anything in the 11 oz ballpark will work, or you can even use more sausage meat if you wish. You can use mild Italian sausages if you prefer.
- I don’t recommend substituting the heavy cream because the acidity in the tomatoes will likely curdle half-and-half or milk.
- If you don’t have any basil, feel free to leave it out, but I really like the fresh flavor it adds.
- I used my handy Microplane zester/grater to grate the parmesan.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on June 6, 2016. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
Easy and delicious! It’s in regular circulation in our home.
Fantastic!!
Wonderful recipe! I added 1/3 cup diced bell pepper to cook with the meat mixture, plus 1/2 cup sliced fresh portobello mushrooms to the flour/tomato mixture.
Thank you!! so glad you liked it.
Tried this tonight for a quick, something different dish! It was super easy and delicious! I did add a little sugar and parsley! Thank you for sharing!!
You’re welcome!! So happy you liked it! 😀
Love this. I did not have sausage meat on hand so I used a smoked beef sausage, sliced about 3mm thick. Worked great, and the flavours blended well. I love this website. Thank you for posting great tasting recipes that use everyday ingredients.
Fantastic!! You’re so sweet. I’m glad you’re finding the recipes useful!
What can I use to substitute the wine or chicken broth? Can I leave it out?
I’d probably leave it out, yes.
This is really one of my favorite pastas dishes ever! i use the Johnsonville sweet italian sausage and added some chilli to add more spice 🙂 This is melt in your mouth kind of pasta dish and will keep on making it!! Thanks Natasha!
Aww fabulous!! Thank you!! 🙂
I don’t have cream in the house but I have a nice fresh pack of ricotta cheese. Think that would be nice or does it need to be cream?
Hmmm… I don’t cook with ricotta often, but I think it could taste good. It may not be as pretty/smooth of a sauce as cream, though.
1st time I made the recipe as called for, 2nd time I used boiled sausages then thinly sliced, 3rd time I added canned sliced mushrooms. This is one robust recipe. No matter what I added the results were excellent. Can’t wait for the next addition
That’s great!! I’m so glad you’re tweaking it to make it a little different each time. 🙂
This is one of my favorites!! Salt and Lavender recipes never fail they are always super quick and delish! 🙂
Aww thank you!! 🙂 So happy you’re enjoying my recipes, Ann.
I have made this a few times but with with wine instead of chicken broth. Does it make a lot of difference with the flavor? I usually like to add wine to my pasta sauce because I feel like it gives it a little extra flavor but I’m doing dry January so I don’t have any in the house.
I’m definitely partial towards wine myself, but I do suggest chicken broth for many of my recipes since it seems more accessible to readers. I think this recipe is delicious without the wine, but you could do a little trick I do when I don’t have any white wine… add in a bit of Dijon mustard too. The chicken broth + Dijon mustard combo sorta mimics the taste of white wine (start with 1/2 teaspoon or so).
You could try Verjus, or another alcohol free wine, or even mirin cut with some water unless you like the sweetness.