Creamy Sausage and Tomato Pasta

This creamy sausage and tomato pasta is a super simple yet extra delicious dish that you can have on the table in 25 minutes! It has juicy bits of sausage in a flavorful tomato-based sauce and is just perfect with loads of freshly grated Parmesan.

If you’ve been on Skinny Spatula before, you may have noticed that I’m a massive fan of quick and easy pasta recipes.

This creamy sausage and tomato pasta is one of the easiest and most delicious pasta recipes I know how to make.

We absolutely love it in our home, and I cook it quite often because it’s so simple to make.

I’ve made this recipe lots of times with Italian sausages, which have the perfect flavor for this type of sauce.

However, I’ve experimented with other sausages like caramelized onion sausages and vegetarian sausages, and the result was smashing every time.

Why you’ll love this sausage and tomato pasta

• It’s super easy to make in just 25 minutes with only a handful of ingredients.
• You can make it with any kind of sausage you like, including veggie sausages.
• It’s a brilliant recipe to have on hand for those busy weeknights.

What goes into this pasta sauce with Italian sausage

Olive oil — You only need a splash of extra virgin olive oil to fry the sausage in.

Don’t be tempted to add more because the sausages will release extra fat, which will be enough to cook the onion and garlic in.

Italian sausage — I like mild Italian sausage in this pasta dish, but you can use hot if you want your dinner to have a bit of a kick.

As mentioned above, this sausage tomato pasta works with just about any type of sausage. Pork, beef, turkey and chicken sausages are all great options.

You can even go for a smoked sausage like kielbasa or chorizo. Alternatively, you can opt for a veggie sausage.

Onion — Dice the onion finely, so it becomes translucent quickly.

Garlic — Feel free to add as much garlic as you like in this pasta sauce with sausage.

Red chili flakes — Adjust the red chili flakes to taste or skip them altogether.

Crushed tomatoes — Use the best canned chopped tomatoes you can here because they can really make or break the sauce.

Italian seasoning mix — You can also use your own mix of dried basil, dried oregano and dried rosemary here.

Half and half — I like to keep things light by using half and half (single cream) instead of heavy cream.

If you don’t mind the extra fat and calories, you can use heavy cream.

Parmesan — Freshly grated Parmesan is always best. I keep a wedge in the fridge and use a fine grater to grate as much as I need.

Pasta — I used penne to make this cream sausage pasta, but any other type of short pasta or even spaghetti would do.

How to make creamy tomato sausage pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it and cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Reserve 1-2 cups of pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan or Dutch oven and cook the sausage for 4-5 minutes over medium heat, breaking them down a bit with your spoon as you go.

Add the onion, garlic and red chili flakes and cook for 2-3 more minutes, stirring often, until the onion becomes translucent.

Stir in the crushed tomatoes and Italian seasoning mix and allow the sauce to bubble for a couple of minutes.

Add the half and half (single cream) and simmer for 1 minute to allow the sauce to thicken a bit.

Lower the heat and stir in the cooked pasta, adding a bit of the reserved pasta water if needed.

Stir in the grated Parmesan and fresh parsley, season to taste and serve immediately.

Leftovers and storage

• This sausage and tomato pasta is best served immediately. Leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stovetop. You may need to add some chicken stock if it looks too dry.
• I don’t recommend freezing this pasta dish.

Recipe notes and tips

• Stir in some baby spinach at the end for some extra brightness.
• Add some shredded fresh basil before serving for even more flavor.
• This is a very flexible recipe, so you can add some mushrooms, peas or any other veggies you like.

If you liked this creamy sausage and tomato pasta, you might also like some of my other easy pasta recipes:

• Pink Sauce Pasta
• Easy Kielbasa Pasta
• Spicy Nduja Pasta
• Creamy Mushroom Alfredo Pasta Bake
• Easiest Ever Creamy Prawn Linguine

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