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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.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on June 6, 2016. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
I used smoked garlic and chilli sausages – superb! Can’t recommend this recipe enough
Fantastic!! That sounds amazing!!
Can I sub tomato paste and or a ragu sauce if I don’t have the diced tomatoes??
You could try, but tomato paste is much thicker, so you may need to tweak other ingredients. Canned tomato sauce will work. As far as a pre-made ragu sauce… I guess that would work in a pinch, but it already has its own flavors and such.
This was sooo good and easy to make! I used orrichete and blended the diced tomato. It’s definitely a keeper. The whole family loved it.
Thank you!! I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
I added frozen green peas to brighten up the dish. Their sweetness was a perfect complement to the spicy sausage. This dish looks and tastes like it came from a fancy restaurant. 😊😊😊
Fabulous!! I’m so happy you liked it, Kimberly! 😀
This was great. Started with a search for a recipe with the ingredients I had on hand. I did use half and half with no curdling or separation. I added mushrooms sautéed in brown butter because they needed to be used before going bad. Fresh basil from the garden was a great addition. Will definitely make again!
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Hi there! This recipe looks amazing! What kind of white wine do you recommend? We love to drink chardonnay and Savion Blanc. Also how can I use the Mild Italian sausage to make it as spicy as the Spicy. (Our grocery store in our little town only carries Spicy that you have to peel the skin)
Hello! Sauv blanc or chardonnay would work just fine! Anything dry and that you like the taste of, really. 🙂 I’d add in some crushed red pepper flakes to make it spicy or a couple dashes of cayenne pepper. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Could this be made ahead of time and then put into a casserole dish to reheat later in the day for dinner?
You could, but pasta tends to soak up sauce and gets a bit of a weird texture that’s not as good as when it’s freshly made. I’d probably boil the pasta just before serving if possible. If you can’t do that, perhaps cook the pasta and store is separately from the sauce then add them together to warm them up before serving.
This was a really good pasta dish. I had left over hot Italian sausage and needed to use it up. It was quick and delicious! I usually cook my sauce for hours but this was probably the fastest tomato sauce I’ve ever made, yet it didn’t lack flavor. I added a few extras like onion and yellow pepper with the sausage, just because I needed to use ingredients before they went bad. Hate waste.
And yes, using whole milk will curdle the sauce a bit initially, but it’s all I had on hand. After it cooked a bit, it all came together and was still delicious.
Definitely will make this again. The mister also enjoyed it. Glad I found your recipe. Thank you.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂 You’re very welcome, Sherri!
Restaurant flavours for a surprisingly easy recipe! The smell was amazing when I was cooking the garlic and white wine. I used pinot grigio and it worked really well, including the glass I enjoyed with the meal! I used Italian sausages from Marks & Spencer for any UK folks without an Italian deli to hand.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Thanks for the tips. I love visiting the UK and always make a stop at M&S myself haha.
Thank you so much Lu. I’m also in the UK and was wondering if there was a way of making a pasta dish using M&S Italian sausages! I was out of Pinot Grigio (hic!) so used SavBlanc instead. Yummy dish which was appreciated by all. 😊
Natasha,
Which wine varietals pair well w/ this dish?
Made it before and just love it!
Thanks,
Kaden
Hi! I’m glad you enjoy this recipe!! For a red, try a pinot noir, for white try a sauvignon blanc but as it’s summertime, a rosé would pair well too.