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!
This recipe was originally published on June 6, 2016. I've revised the recipe to make it even more delicious and easy to make. I've also added new photos.
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.
I decided to redo this one when I was brainstorming recipes and realized I already had something similar on the blog to what I was envisioning. From over 3 years ago. That's the thing about food blogs... recipes get buried, especially ones where the photos are less than stellar. I am happy to have resurrected this recipe. New and improved!
I re-photographed my Italian sausage tortellini soup recipe this year as well, and if you like this recipe, I think you will like that one as well.
The sauce is creamy, but not too creamy if you know what I mean. It's tomato-y first and foremost. The cream helps mellow some of that acidity from the tomatoes and spice from the sausage. I am not a huge spice person, and I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. It has just enough zing in my opinion.
Penne goes really well with this spicy Italian sausage pasta recipe. The little tubes are perfect for that sauce. You can use any shape you want, though.
Pro tip: 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. 🙂
Other pastas with sausage you may like:
- Tuscan Sausage Pasta
- Cajun Sausage Pasta
- Simple Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
- Easy Sausage Rigatoni
- Healthy Chicken Sausage Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Hope you'll love this hot Italian sausage pasta recipe!
Questions? Let me know in the comments below.
Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne
- 10.6 ounces hot Italian sausages crumbled (see note)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or white wine
- 1/2 tablespoon flour
- 1 (14 fluid ounce) can diced tomatoes with juices
- 1/2 cup heavy/whipping cream
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 6 large leaves basil sliced/torn into small pieces
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Take the sausage meat out of the casings and crumble it into a deep skillet. Cook it for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat until browned.
- Once the sausage is browned, take it out of the pan and set it aside. Drain the fat.
- Add the garlic, followed by the chicken broth to the skillet. 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 10.6 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.
Shannon says
Love this recipe
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Amy says
My husband and I LOVED this! I did double the sauce bc I love a saucy noodle and I added thinly shredded Parmesan to the sauce and let it melt before I put the noodles with it:)
Natasha says
Love that!! 😀
Mallory says
I made this a few weeks ago to have over homemade fettuccine and it was a HIT! I used while milk + butter (didn't see your note) and it was great! Today I made it again with heavy cream and it's amazing! I didn't have basil either time so I added a scoop of jarred pesto which was great.
Natasha says
That's awesome!!
Judy says
Recipe was delightful. Added a handful of chopped frozen spinach. Used half and half and had no problems. Thanks.
Natasha says
So happy you liked it!! Thank you!
Carol says
Really fast, easy, and delicious!!
Natasha says
Thank you!!
Alana Cristante says
Experimented with making this recipe using a heavy cream substitute (I know this was against the authors wishes lol) it did not work very well. I combined 2/3 cup soy milk with 1/3 cup olive oil and the entire thing just lacked the creaminess and emulsification I was looking for. Will try again when I'm cooking for a non dairy free crowd in the future.
Natasha says
Maybe try Silk's dairy-free whipping cream next time? I know some readers have subbed cream successfully with it. 🙂
Tania says
Pasta took a long time to thicken, ended up eating it soupy. and not enough pasta for 3 sausages. taste was ok. not spicy at all with no extra spices
Shaun says
I had the same issue. For cream based sauces that are too soupy; take 1/4 cup of cold water and add some cornstarch. Mix corn starch with water, and add to sauce while stirring.
Next time I think I'll just strain some of the juices from the diced tomatoes.
Brenda says
Great recipe does it freeze well? I’ll appreciate your reply. Best, Brenda
Natasha says
Hi Brenda! I think the sauce will freeze ok, but if you're making the whole batch for the freezer, I'd add the cream upon thawing/reheating.
Ron says
Can't thank you enough for this recipe. Just finished eating a plate and this blows away anything I have ever made before. My son said I should make this if I want to impress our company.
Natasha says
Yay!! I'm so happy to hear that, Ron!! 😀
Louise says
Just made this and it was delicious. Would definitely recommend. We used chilli oil to fry the spicy sausages off which added to the spice and flavour. We’re going to add mushrooms next time too!
Natasha says
Awesome!! Glad you liked it!
Linda says
My family of picky eaters loves this!! Usually there's a couple who don't like spicy food so I did use the mild Italian sausage. Huge success! Making for 3rd time this weekend by request for a birthday dinner!!
Natasha says
That's great to hear, Linda!! 🙂
Maureen Hannah says
This was a surprisingly simple recipe with little prep time. It was delicious, especially after leaving it for an hour in the Dutch oven before serving it. I paired it with a Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon blend from France’s Bergerac region (four-year-old vintage for $15, from Dordogne Valley).
Natasha says
I'm so glad it was a hit, Maureen! 😀
Tristan says
It was super good! I didn’t have cream (haven’t gone grocery shopping and was down to the bare minimums) so I used some left over Alfredo sauce, I added sundried tomatoes along with the garlic and I chopped kale in my food processor and added it once I mixed the sauce and the pasta. Really good.
Natasha says
I'm so happy it worked out, Tristan! 🙂
Madelaine says
This recipe was delicious and was a hit with my family! I added a chopped red pepper into it which added a nice pop of flavour 😊 thank you!
Natasha says
Yay!! Glad it was a hit! Love the red pepper idea.
Mai says
A trick I learned from my great grandmother was add cream or milk first before tomatoes and it won’t curdle. Works for me.
Rachel says
This recipe has been in my weekly rotation for the better part of 2 years. It’s the lowest effort for most reward of any dinner recipe I’ve tried.
Absolutely delicious.
I never change anything, unless I don’t have any fresh basil on hand, then I’ll add a swirl of Durant’s Basil olive oil as a garnish.
It’s really unbeatable. If you make it once, you’ll make it again.
Natasha says
Aww I'm so happy to hear that!! Thanks for your review! 😀
Kari says
Delicious and quick.
Just made tonight and the family loved it. Used a can of ro-tel and some ground hot Italian sausage.
This will be made again!!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Excellent!! Glad it was a hit with the family, Kari.
Deb says
Wow, I feel like I just had dinner at a restaurant! So good! I used local hot Italian sausage and white zinfandel instead of chicken stock. Yummy!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's so kind of you to say! Thanks for your review, Deb! 🙂
Sarah says
Great recipe! Made it a few times and love it. Planning to make it tomorrow and wondering if I can substitute a jarred 4 cheese pasta sauce instead of diced tomatoes?
Natasha says
Hi! I'm so glad. You could for sure try, but ensure that you don't cook it at too high a heat as a cheese sauce could separate. I can't really speak to exactly how it'll taste, but I imagine if you like the jarred sauce, it should be yummy. 🙂
Evilpig says
Skipped the chicken broth and flour step and added an onion with the garlic and cooked it with the Sausage. Came out amazing. Added some habenero shredded cheese at the end and it was deliciously spicy!
Natasha says
Excellent!!
Jan ham says
I made this dish tonight and thought I was in an authentic Italian restaurant. Followed recipe to the last detail, just delicious.
Would I be able to freeze it, I did use cream.
Thank you
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Glad you enjoyed it. You could try freezing it. I think it should be ok since it's not something like Alfredo sauce, but there's always a chance the texture could change a bit. Thanks for your review, Jan!