Spicy, creamy, and hearty, this One Pot Spicy Sausage Pasta comes together in less than 30 minutes for the perfect one-pot weeknight pasta meal!
We love making easy pasta dishes at home with some protein variation, and often we gravitate towards sausage since it’s quick to defrost and cooks up in minutes! This sausage pasta recipe was inspired by traditional Italian sausage pasta recipes but modified to accommodate my dairy-free cooking style. I love making this mafalda pasta recipe, but you can also use other pasta shapes such as rigatoni, farfalle, or any shape you have on hand, which will likely work.
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Why you’ll love this creamy Spicy Sausage Pasta
Who doesn’t love a bowl or plate of hot steaming pasta? If you’re like me you usually have one night designated for pasta each week because it’s easy, versatile and so tasty.
- Made in only 30 minutes!
- Versatile recipe - You can change up the sausage, add veggies, use a different pasta shape, and make it your own!
- The perfect cozy recipe as it’s rich and creamy.
- Well-balanced - with just the right amount of spice so it’s not too overwhelming.
- Even the novice cook can make this hearty pasta; you don’t need much cooking experience at all.
This creamy pasta dish is also perfect for a date night pasta meal, especially with this Gluten Free Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. You can tell I am quite a pasta fan by all the pasta recipes I’ve created.
Ingredients
Ingredients notes
- Pasta of choice - Use a 12-ounce box of gluten free pasta of your choice. I like using Jovial Pasta gluten-free pasta. The recipe was tested with Jovial Farfalle but I used a different shape for the photoshoot. You can use regular wheat pasta if you’re not gluten free.
- Olive oil - In my opinion, extra virgin olive oil is always the best option.
- Sausage - Choose hot Italian sausage or andouille sausage, sliced into ½” circles.
- Onion - Make sure to dice the onion very small. You can use a white or yellow onion.
- Garlic - I added 6 cloves of minced garlic, which, for me, was the perfect amount. Adjust to your taste buds.
- Red pepper flakes - Red pepper flakes add a touch of spice but, here too, adjust to your taste buds.
- Cherry tomatoes- Cherry tomatoes, halved, add a pop of color and natural sweetness. Feel free to use your leftover cherry tomatoes that may look a little softened or shriveled (no mold of course!)
- Tomato paste -Amps up the tomato flavor without being overpowering.
- White wine - I prefer to use a dry white wine to add a touch of sweetness.
- Kosher salt - My go-to is Diamond Crystals kosher salt.
- Seasonings - I added ground black pepper, dried basil, and fresh chopped parsley.
- Honey - A touch of honey helps balance the savoriness of the sausages.
- Coconut milk - Use full-fat canned coconut milk, stirred and then measured to add richness to the sauce.
- Vegan butter - I like to use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery sticks to keep the recipe dairy-free. If dairy-free isn’t a concern, dairy butter is a good substitute.
Salting your pasta water
Salting pasta water infuses the pasta with flavor but it also helps reduce the amount of stickiness so the pasta won’t clump together after it’s been cooked.
I usually eyeball around 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt to a large pot of water. Also, don’t waste fancy salt, you can use kosher salt or even table salt for this step!
Making the pasta
Cook the pasta - Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al-dente. Reserve some pasta water (incase needed for later), drain and set aside.
Cook the sausage -Sauté the sausage in olive oil until crispy. Remove the sausage from the pot and transfer it to a bowl. Pour out all but 2 tablespoons of oil.
Add the onion to the pot of oil and sauté until softened. Add the tomatoes and cook until they soften, pressing down with your spoon to smash them slightly.
Mix in the minced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until they become fragrant.
Stir the tomato sauce into the pot and mix until it is dispersed. Then, pour the wine into the pot and simmer until it is mostly cooked off.
Mix in the salt, pepper, basil, honey, and coconut milk, and cook until a thick sauce forms.
Stir in the cooked pasta and sausage and mix until combined, mix in the butter, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.
Ingredient swaps & variations
- Wine: Use low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth instead.
- Beef sausage: Use chicken, turkey or even vegetarian sausage instead.
- Cherry tomatoes: Use any type of tomatoes, such as grape tomatoes or even a large diced tomato instead.
- Parsley: Swap with chopped cilantro if you prefer.
- Garnish: Sprinkle the finished dish with freshly grated parmesan; I use non-dairy!
Recipe FAQs
Canned full-fat coconut milk is a great option to make this dairy free sausage pasta, but you can also substitute it with heavy dairy cream or half-and-half for a dairy version. I used coconut milk to keep this recipe dairy-free.
I love using Andouille or hot Italian sausage (beef-based), but you can also use spicy chicken sausage, spicy vegan sausage, or spicy turkey sausage. Truly any spicy sausage will work!
Yes! You can easily saute zucchini, eggplant, kale, mushrooms, or spinach! I suggest you choose 1-2 veggies and add them after cooking the onions.
Recipe Tips
- Use canned full-fat coconut milk for ultimate richness and thick texture, rather than a carton of coconut milk that tends to be a lot thinner in consistency.
- Mix the coconut milk well so you get a cohesive liquid since sometimes it can be separated in the can.
- Cook your until pasta al dente as it will continue to cook even after you drain it. You want firm and chewy pasta, not soggy pasta that falls apart.
- Save some of the pasta water before straining the pasta incase you need it to thicken the sauce.
How To Store Gluten-Free Sausage Pasta
- Refrigerate uneaten leftovers for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat refrigerated pasta in the microwave or over the stove. If the sauce has dried out you can add broth, tomato sauce, or even a touch of water.
- Freezing: If you want to freeze this meal, freeze the sauce in advance and prepare fresh pasta the next time you want to eat it.
Recommended
One Pot Spicy Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Chop all your ingredients as directed in the ingredient list before starting the recipe. Take out all other necessary ingredients from the pantry for easy access during the cooking process.
- Cook pasta in a large pot of generously salted boiling water according to package directions until al-dente, generally about 7-9 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water for later incase needed to thicken the sauce. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- To the now-empty pasta pot, add the oil and sausage and cook over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes until crispy, mixing occasionally. Remove sausage from the pot using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and set aside for later. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of oil left in the pot (if applicable).
- Add the onion to the pot of remaining oil. Saute over medium-low heat for 3 minutes until softened and slightly golden. Mix in the tomatoes and cook for 5-8 minutes until they begin to soften, pressing down with your spoon to smash them a bit.
- Mix in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and mix until it is dispersed about 2 minutes.
- Add the white wine and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
- Mix in the salt, pepper, basil, honey and coconut milk, cooking for 30-60 seconds. The sauce should be thick.
- Add the cooked pasta and sausage into the pot and mix until combined. Mix in the butter. Turn off the heat once the butter is melted in. If for any reason the pasta seems dry, add ¼ cup at a time of the reserved pasta water and mix through over medium heat for 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle with parsley and mix together.
Test Kitchen Notes
- Add up to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes if you really love spicy food.
- I like using Jovial Pasta. The recipe was tested with Jovial Farfalle and Jovial Mafalda, but you can use any pasta you like!
- I use Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks as the butter in this recipe to keep this recipe kosher and non dairy. For a non-kosher version, you can use dairy butter.
- Instead of wine, use low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth.
Renee Taylor says
So delicious! I can’t wait to make this again. I did switch up the tomatoes for sun dried tomatoes. And I think I will add more coconut milk for more sauce. Just my own preference. Still this is an amazing recipe👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽