15-minute sausage pasta that is quick, easy, delicious and uses simple everyday ingredients! The tartness and sweetness of cherry tomatoes used in this recipe complementsthe richness of Italian sausages perfectly. I also like to sprinkle a little dried chilli flakes and basil leaves to serve for a nice spicy kick and a boost of freshness.
For something more cheesy, also try my lazy one-pot sausage pasta bake!
An easy solution to a tasty and fuss-free dinner like my other 15-minute dinners such as prawn fried rice, tomato and egg stir fry, butter garlic pork chops and garlic prawn pasta.
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Ingredients
- Italian sausages - opt for the best quality sausages you can afford. It makes a difference to the overall pasta dish! I like to use pork sausages, feel free to use whatever meat sausages you prefer.
- Cherry tomatoes - slightly sweeter, tart/acidic than the regular tomatoes and therefore works really well with the richness of the fatty (and tasty) sausages!
- Sugar - just a little bit helps elevate the overall sauce.
- Linguine - can use whatever pasta shape you prefer.
How to make sausage pasta
To cook this sausage pasta in 15 minutes, you've got to be a little strategic with the order in which you prepare the ingredients.
First up, get the pasta going. Season the pasta cooking water generously and cook according to packet instructions.
Whilst the pasta is cooking, chop the sausages into bite-size pieces, thinly slice some garlic and cut cherry tomatoes into halves.
Then, in a hot large pan, brown sausages with a little olive oil on high heat. Turning every so often to get even browning on 2 to 3 sides. Then, add in garlic and get the pan super fragrant.
Once the garlic begins to turn lightly golden, add cherry tomatoes into the pan with a little brown sugar (or white sugar), salt and pepper.
Once the tomatoes start to blister and soften a little (about 2 to 3 minutes), put the lid on and simmer on the lowest heat for about 4 minutes. It should look saucy like the above image step #6.
Then, turn the heat back up to high, and stir in baby spinach. It'll wilt super fast. 3 handfuls may look like a lot when raw, but once cooked, they shrink by a lot!
By now, the pasta should be cooked to al dente. Add drained pasta into the pan along with half a cup of pasta cooking water. Turn the heat off and mix and toss the pasta through the sauce.
That's it! Super quick and easy dinner done.
To serve, I like to sprinkle the sausage pasta with some dried chilli flakes, some fresh basil leaves and maybe freshly grated parmesan cheese.
If you're feeling fancy, a drizzle of olive oil won't hurt nobody 😉
Useful tips and tricks
- Season the pasta cooking water generously before the pasta is added to the boiling water. This will lightly season the pasta and make it taste just that much better! The general rule is to add about ½ tablespoon of salt for every 100g of dried pasta with plenty of water. Sounds like a lot of salt but rest assured, the vast majority of it stays in the water and does not get absorbed by the pasta.
- Use the best quality Italian sausages you can afford for the best results! Good quality sausages make a difference! This is a simple dish so quality is important.
Good to know (FAQs)
Yes! If you like things on the creamy side, add in about half a cup of cream once the spinach has wilted in the pan. Make sure to taste the sauce and adjust for seasoning.
Yes you can! However, the fresh tartness of cherry tomatoes does make this dish a little bit extra special/tasty in my opinion.
Leftovers/storage
Whether you're reheating over the stove or in a microwave, add some water to the pasta to help loosen the sauce up a bit.
Keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days and 1 to 2 months in the freezer. Store in airtight containers to keep freshness.
Made this recipe? Let me know your thoughts or questions by dropping a note in the comments section below! I'd love to hear from you. 🙂
If you're active on Instagram, take a picture once you've made this recipe and tag me on Instagram! I'd love to see them!
Happy cooking! - Gen
📖 Recipe
Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 400 g /14 ounces Italian pork sausages the best quality you can afford
- 350 g /12 ounces linguine or preferred pasta shapes
- 2 punnets cherry tomatoes ~500g /1 pound
- 3 handfuls baby spinach ~150g/5 ounces
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar or white sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
To serve (optional)
- fresh basil leaves
- dried chilli flakes
- freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut sausages into bite-sized pieces and half cherry tomatoes.
- Cook linguine pasta according to packet instructions. Remember to season the pasta cooking water generously. (note 1)
- In a large pan, brown sausages with olive oil for about 2 minutes on high heat. Add garlic, stir fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant and garlic lightly golden.
- Add cherry tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir fry for about 2 minutes until the tomatoes start to blister and soften lightly. Put the lid on and reduce the heat to low for about 4 minutes or until saucy.
- Remove the lid, turn the heat up to high and stir in baby spinach for 30 seconds then turn the heat off. By now, the pasta should be cooked to al dente. Add pasta into the pan along with ½ cup of pasta cooking water. Toss pasta through the sauce. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper if necessary.
- Optional: serve with fresh basil leaves, parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes.
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