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This chorizo pasta recipe is quick, easy, and has only a handful of ingredients! It’s ready in about 30 minutes.
You may also like my Easy Italian Sausage Tomato Pasta or Easy Pasta Arrabiata next.
Why you’ll love it
This is a really simple pasta dish that’s great when you just want some sausage, pasta, and a simple tomato sauce. It’s not fancy, and the chorizo really shines through. It’s one of those brilliant midweek meals that doesn’t take a lot of effort but tastes delicious.
A hint of cream helps to cut some of the acidity of the tomatoes and heat of the chorizo. It’s a nice way to balance it all out! Garlic and onions provide more layers of flavor, and there you go… there’s like 6 ingredients in this pasta with chorizo. I chose them wisely!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – I like penne, but any shape is fine
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Chorizo – I use a spicy Spanish chorizo, but there are definitely milder ones out there that you could use
- Onion and garlic – tasty aromatics
- Diced/chopped tomatoes – they’re canned at peak ripeness and are convenient
- Cream – we’re using double cream (heavy cream)
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this handy garlic press to easily mince the garlic without peeling the cloves first.
- This is the enameled cast iron skillet pictured.
- Here is my favorite can opener for the tomatoes. It’s held up for years!
How to make chorizo 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, add the olive oil and chorizo to a skillet. Sauté until it’s just crispy. Add in the onion, and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, and cream.
Simmer the sauce until it has reduced to your liking. Give it a taste, and season with salt & pepper as needed. Drain the pasta, and toss it with the sauce. Top with parmesan if using.
Substitutions and variations
- You could sub an entirely different kind of sausage, and it’ll still be yummy. If using Mexican chorizo vs. Spanish, you may need to drain some of the fat.
- I don’t recommend substituting something lower fat for the cream. There’s a good chance it’ll curdle due to the tomatoes.
- If you’re not fond of pieces of tomato, simply use passata (tomato sauce) instead.
What to serve with chorizo pasta
- A dusting of freshly grated parmesan is wonderful on top.
- I like this one with a light salad. Try my Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad or a green salad.
- It’s perfect along with a slice of fresh baguette or my Garlic Bread as well.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover pasta with chorizo in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat, adding a splash more cream if needed.
- You could freeze leftover sauce, but the texture may change a bit. I’d definitely boil up fresh pasta.
If you made this simple chorizo pasta, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made this or any of my recipes.
Easy Chorizo Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (8.8 ounce) coil Spanish chorizo sausage cut into small pieces
- 1/2 small onion chopped finely
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water for the pasta. Cook it until al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and chorizo and fry it until it just starts to get crispy (around 5 minutes).
- Add the onion and cook it until it’s softened (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in the garlic, tomatoes, and cream. Let the sauce cook for another 5 minutes or so, or until the sauce is reduced to your liking. Taste and season with salt & pepper as needed.
- Toss with the pasta and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- You can either use a mild or spicy chorizo – it’s up to you. Anything in the ballpark of 8.8 ounces (about 250g) will work. You can use partially or fully cured chorizo… it’ll all taste good. I used Spanish chorizo for this recipe (not Mexican).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I cannot for the life of me find Spanish-style coil chorizo. Any suggestions on a good replacement? Maybe just kielbasa with added spices of some sort? This sounds so good, and I have all other ingredients!
Hi! Yes, or maybe something like Andouille sausage? You could probably try it with Mexican chorizo, but you’d need to drain some of the grease and possibly tweak the recipe a bit. It’s funny… I have never seen Mexican chorizo in regular stores here (Edmonton, Canada).
It is not surprising that the greasy version is what’s readily available here in the states. Ugh. lol Thanks! I’m going to try it with some Andouille sausage – I don’t know why I didn’t think of that! 🙂
Very easy recipe with flavour as l am not aloud salt. The other advantage is that doesnt need to many ingredients
So glad you liked it!
Very very tasty and easy to make. My husband doesnt like pasta but he loved this. I used tagliatelle because it was the only pasta I had, worked wonderfully.
I’m so glad you both liked it! 🙂
Super easy and delicious 😋
🙂
WOW THIS WAS VERY TASTY. FOLLOWED THE DIRECTIONS AND WE REALLY ENJOYED THIS
Fantastic! Thank you!
So good and easy to make. We used ground chorizo because that is what the farm sells. I’m not a good cook so this was great because it was hard for me to mess up.
Fabulous!! 🙂
Ok so I followed this to a T but then added cheddar, Parmesan, and a few laughing cow wedges from Costco. So chorizo/tomato/cheesy sauce. BOMB
Awesome!!
Easy as it gets and still so delicious!
So glad to hear that, Whitni!
Quick & easy to make & delicious
So glad you liked it!
Thanks for this recipe. I had double the chorizo and pasta and cream and canned diced tomatoes so I just doubled everything. Delicious!
You’re welcome! Glad you liked it!