Sausage Pasta Recipe
A quick and flavorful sausage pasta dish featuring Italian sausages cooked with onions, garlic, and crushed tomatoes, tossed with spiral pasta and fresh spinach. Finished with fragrant basil and Parmesan for a satisfying weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the spiral pasta according to package directions minus 1-2 minutes to keep it slightly underdone. Just before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Cut the Italian sausages into chunks about 1.5 cm (3/5 inch). The sausage will become somewhat smeary and irregular in shape but this is normal and will resolve while cooking.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the sausage chunks and cook until they are nicely browned on the outside but not fully cooked through.
Add the finely chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet with the sausages. Cook for about 2 minutes until the onion is translucent and the sausages are more deeply browned.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes along with the red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and reduce heat to medium. Let the sauce bubble energetically for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
If using, add the baby spinach to the sauce and stir until wilted. Then add the cooked pasta along with about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything quickly for no longer than 1 minute to combine without breaking the pasta.
Remove from heat and dish out immediately. Garnish with plenty of fresh basil leaves and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. Enjoy your hearty sausage pasta!
