Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe (in under 30 mins)

Name: Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe (in under 30 mins)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 250 g rigatoni pasta; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 yellow onion (chopped); 3 garlic cloves (minced); 2 tsp Sea salt; 1 tsp dried oregano; 400 g Italian sausage meat; 1 can (400g tinned tomatoes); 250 ml water; 2 tbsp fresh parsley (finely chopped); 3 tbsp heavy cream; 150 g parmesan cheese (plus more for the top); 2 tsp crushed black pepper; More parmesan cheese (parsley, crushed black pepper)

The easiest dinner you will cook in under 30 minutes, perfect for a weeknight meal and so delicious! Just a handful of ingredients and this pasta recipe will be ready with little to no effort.

Summer cooking has to be simple, effortless and packed with flavor. This recipe ticks all those boxes and makes for a comfort meal that is ready in under 30 minutes. Perfect for any weeknight cooking situation. I like to keep sausages in my freezer so I can whip up any meal easily without effort but still deliver on the pleasure/taste of the recipe. Chances are you have most of the ingredients needed to make this dish. You can use any pasta as well so go no excuses. Lets get to it!

What is Italian sausage pasta called?

Pasta alla norcina is basically creamy pasta made with sausage meat, pecorino and nutmeg. The sauce is white and made with rumbled Italian sausage, this recipe is nothing like that in fact it is made with a cheats red sauce all in one pan. We do not make a sauce separately – aka less wash up!

What sauces go well on Italian sausage?

You could use a white sauce like béchamel, a cheesy sauce like mornay or even a stock based sauce like veloute. I have gone with a red sauce pasta, you could do a classic marinara sauce, or pomodorro.

What ingredients do you need to make this Italian sausage pasta?

To make the sauce we need sausage meat, onion, garlic, olive oil, salt, dried oregano, tinned chopped tomatoes, fresh parsley, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, crushed black pepper and a little water. I have used dried rigatoni pasta to make this recipe as well.

What is the best sausage meat to use?

Italian sausage meat is the best. Now it is important to know the difference between precooked sausages that you can fry up in minutes versus actual minced meat in a sausage casing that needs a bit of time to cook over the heat. We want the minced meat sausage to make this recipe, it is what makes this recipe so nourishing and comforting. You cannot use sliced sausages here, we need to remove the sausage meat from the casing and fry up the meat. You could use a garlic and herb sausage or spicy Italian sausage as well, my favourite!

What is the best pasta to use?

Ive gone with rigatoni but that is because it is what I had in my kitchen. You can use spaghetti, penne, macaroni etc. Any pasta you use make sure to check the packaging and cook it as per the box instructions. You could also layer the sauce into a lasagna as well.

What equipment do you need to make this Italian sausage pasta?

To boiled the pasta we need a stock pot and colander. For the sauce we need a knife, chopping board and sauté pan. A wooden spoon to help stir everything together or any spoon will work.

How to make sausage Italian pasta?

Cook the pasta as per your package instructions and set aside. In a sauté pan add the sausage meat (making sure to remove the casing, you could leave it on but it is more difficult to break it up in the case). Cook on medium heat with a little olive oil, we want to brown the meat, should take 5 minutes. Transfer the meat to a plate and set aside. In the same pan add the olive oil, onion, salt and cook on low to medium heat until brown and soft. Around 5-6 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano and cook again for a minute. Add the browned meat back into the pan and stir together. Add the tinned tomatoes, water, parsley and stir together. Let it cook for 5 minutes. Add the cream, simmer for a minute and take off the heat. Add the cooked pasta, parmesan cheese, crushed black pepper and stir together. Serve it hot.

Serving and storing this Italian sausage pasta?

Serve this pasta with more parmesan cheese, fresh chopped parsley, crushed black pepper. My mum likes it with toasted red chili flakes, while my dad liked it with hot sauce on top (please don’t ask). If there is one thing I will say, please measure the parmesan on a subjective basis. Also, if you have leftovers, store them in air tight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days (if it lasts that long), when ready to eat warm it in the microwave for 1 minute. You could make the sauce in a large batch and store it in the freezer for up to 1 month, when ready to eat allow the sauce to defrost and heat over the stove gently with a little water or stock – adjust seasoning if needed, use accordingly.

Looking for more quick and easy pasta recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this Italian sausage pasta recipe, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.