Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta
sandravalvassori.com
This Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta makes a quicker than quick satisfying and easy weeknight meal that is filled with warm, mildly spicy flavors. Whether you choose sweet or spicy sausage, this one is guaranteed to make your taste buds do a dance!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 12 ounces hot or mild Italian sausage, casings removed (see notes)
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 small carrot finely chopped (optional)
- 2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup white wine (or use chicken stock)
- 1 (14 ounce) can cherry tomatoes or whole tomatoes (see notes)
- 12 ounces dried pasta of your choice (see notes)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
- Small handful basil leaves, torn by hand
Instructions
- The tomato-sausage sauce comes together quite fast so start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil.
- Heat oil over medium high heat in a sauté pan or skillet that is large enough to hold all the pasta. When oil is hot, add the sausage to the pan, using a wooden spoon to break into smaller pieces. Cook until starting to brown and no longer pink, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the diced onions and carrots and cook until softened, about 4 minutes more. Stir in the garlic, fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Lower heat to medium-low and add the wine to the pan. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that stuck to the bottom of the pan. Let this cook down for about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally while you cook the pasta.
- Generously salt the boiling water and cook pasta according to package instructions, or until just al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup cooking water and drain the pasta. Add the pasta to the pan and toss gently to combine with the sausage sauce. Stir in the parmesan cheese then add some of the pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce (I usually use about 1/2 cup). Taste and adjust with salt and pepper, if needed. Drizzle everything with a little olive oil, top with basil and serve with extra Parmesan, if you like.
Notes
- Sausage: You can use any sausage you'd like here. If you are using an un-seasoned sausage, consider adding more spices like dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and/or Italian seasoning. If you would like to use 1 pound of sausage, that will work without having to alter the rest of the recipe.
- Tomatoes: You can also use crushed tomatoes or 2 cups of fresh chopped tomatoes. If you are using 1 pound of pasta, double the amount of tomatoes.
- Pasta: This recipe calls for only 12 ounces of pasta, which I know will leave you with an annoying bit left in the package. The reason for this, is that you don't want to drown out the sauce with a huge amount of pasta. In addition, it would be hard to fit more pasta in the skillet. However, if you'd like to use the full package (1 pound) just double the amount of tomatoes. You may also need to use the pasta pot, as opposed to the skillet, to combine everything at the end.
- To store & reheat: Leftovers of the sausage pasta may be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. For best results, reheat the sausage pasta on the stovetop over medium heat, in a covered pot with a lid. Add a 1/4 cup of water or chicken broth, stirring occasionally, until heated through.