Spicy Sausage Pasta is easy, cheap, and super tasty. The perfect budget-friendly midweek family dinner.
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I love sausages. When it comes to Easy family dinner ideas, sausages are always good. They are cheap and tasty, and they work with so many different things.
There are always a couple of packs of good-quality sausages in our freezer for Cheap Family Dinners.
This Spicy Sausage Pasta is a big favourite.
It’s spicy, filled with colours and flavours, super simple, and the sausages look a bit like meatballs. Which is always good for the kids!
This Spicy Sausage Pasta Recipe is one of my faves for weekday dinners, after school when I’ve not got much time, and I want a filling meal after a busy day.
It’s fairly spicy, but the kids love it, and you could quite easily make a milder Spicy Pasta Sauce if you want to.
What Sausages Should You Use in Spicy Sausage Pasta?
Ideally, you should use the best sausages you can afford. They’ll have a higher meat content, less fat, be healthier, taste better, and hold their shape better.
But I know that’s not always an option.
I recommend plain pork sausages for my Recipe for Spicy Sausage Pasta, and we use “the meaty one” (not an affiliate link, I just really like them!) from Aldi. Which are packed with meat, super yum, and reasonably priced.
If you want something with a little more flavour, you could use bratwurst.
Use the best that you can afford, your personal favourites, or the pack that you’ve got in the fridge or freezer.
Can You Cook Raw Sausages in Pasta Sauce?
You can cook sausages from raw in pasta sauce. They will cook as the sauce simmers away (might take a little longer)
But I don’t like it! They stay all pale and look uncooked.
I recommend browning the sausages a little, removing them from the pan, cooking the onions and garlic, and then putting the sausages back in.
This means that the Sausages in a Spicy Tomato Sauce look good, and you don’t have to worry about whether they are cooked or not.
Should the Sausages Be Cut Up?
If you are using a cheaper sausage, you might prefer to brown them whole and then cut them into chunks. Or even keep and serve them whole. That’s fine.
With a good sausage, I find they hold shape pretty well, and that it’s easy to slice them before you brown them.
This helps them to cook faster, means that they are easier to eat, and reduces the risk of the skins bursting.
It is totally personal preference though. I like my sausages chopped into thick chunks. You might prefer to leave them whole, or even to take them out of the skin and cook the meat more like mince.
What Spices Can You Add to Tomato Pasta Sauce?
Spicy Sausage Pasta Sauce needs spices!
I use Very Lazy Red Chilli paste (affiliate link) instead of fresh chillies. It’s just easier to keep some in, and most supermarkets sell their own version (Aldi’s is called chilli puree). I add around 1 tablespoon, but you can add more or less depending on how spicy you want it.
I keep the Spices for Sausage Pasta simple with chilli and some smoked paprika.
Then, just a pinch of salt and pepper, a bit of oregano, and a tbsp of balsamic vinegar, which isn’t essential but gives it a little something more. A tang, if you will, but a very mild one.
Can You Freeze Spicy Sausage Pasta?
I try to make sure I can freeze most of my Recipes for family dinners, and Spicy Sausage Pasta is no different.
Simply leave to cool, pop in a sealed, airtight tub and leave in the fridge for 2-3 days or the freezer for up to two months.
Then, thaw thoroughly and reheat in a pan over medium heat for 20 minutes so that the sausages are piping hot, adding a little more stock if you need to.
Other Family Dinner Recipes
Some of my other favourite family dinners include Sausage Pasta Bake, Sausage Burritos, Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake, and Pork Fried Rice.
Spicy Sausage Pasta
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
Description
Spicy Sausage Pasta is easy, cheap, and super tasty. The perfect budget-friendly midweek family dinner.
Ingredients
- Cooking Oil or Spray
- 8 Pork Sausages (Cut into 1-2cm slices)
- 1 Red Onion (Finely diced)
- 2 Cloves Garlic (Crushed)
- 1 Fresh Red Chilli (Finely diced or one tablespoon of lazy chilli puree)
- 2 Red Peppers (Deseeded and chopped into thin slices)
- 400g Tin Chopped Tomatoes
- 1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
- 200ml Chicken Stock
- 2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika
- 1 Teaspoon Oregano
- Pinch Salt and Pepper
- Pasta – To serve, cooked to packet instructions
Instructions
- Heat a splash of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat on the hob.
- Add the sliced sausages and brown for 3-5 minutes before tipping into a bowl and leaving to one side.
- In the same oil, fry the onions and garlic for 5 minutes until soft.
- Add the fresh chillies or chilli puree and stir in well.
- Return the sausages to the pan, add the peppers, and stir.
- Pour in the stock, tomatoes, and balsamic vinegar. Mix through well.
- Add the smoked paprika, oregano, and a pinch of salt and pepper, and mix.
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sausages are piping hot and the sauce has thickened, string often.
Notes
- You can also use whole sausages.
- I use Lazy Chilli puree.
- I cut my peppers into slices, but you can dice them if you prefer.
- We serve with tagliatelle, but any pasta is fine.
- Simmer for longer if your sauce is too thin.
- If your pasta sauce isn’t spicy enough, add more chilli puree, a pinch of chilli flakes, or a tsp of chilli powder. If it’s too hot, add 100ml more stock and simmer for longer.
- Nutritional information does not include pasta
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Easy Midweek Meals
- Cuisine: British
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Serving
- Calories: 448kcal
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 983mg
- Fat: 26g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 32g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 23g
- Cholesterol: 67mg
