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    Home » Recipes

    Spicy Sausage Pasta

    Aug 10, 2022 · 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    This spicy sausage pasta is the perfect weeknight recipe. It's creamy, full of flavor and made with a few basic ingredients like hot Italian sausage, store-bought marinara sauce, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Best of all, it comes together in less than 20 minutes.

    A bowl full of spicy sausage pasta topped with basil.
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Spicy Sausage Pasta Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    This pasta is great for busy weeknights and packs a ton of flavor with minimum effort. It's easy to double or triple for a crowd and doesn't require a ton of ingredients. If you're looking for other great weeknight pasta recipes, try our Creamy Red Pepper and Tomato Pasta or Creamy Parmesan Tortellini with Tomatoes.

    Ingredients

    • Hot Italian sausage- we used Trader Joe's hot Italian sausage. Johnsonville has a pretty good hot italian sausage that can be purchased from most major grocery stores. If your sausage is in a casing (like the TJ's version), you'll want to remove the casing before cooking.
    • Short-cut pasta- we use fusilli, but this recipe would also be great with rigatoni, bowtie, penne, or whatever else you enjoy. If short-cut pasta isn't your speed, feel free to try this a long pasta like spaghetti or bucatini.
    • Marinara sauce- use your favorite store-bought brand. We like Victoria or Rao's the best.
    • Cream cheese
    • Parmesan cheese
    • Minced garlic

    See recipe card for amounts.

    Instructions

    Step 1: Cook the pasta according to package instructions.

    Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, cook the sausage in a large pan over medium heat until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. If your sausage has a casing around it, remove the casing before cooking.

    Step 3: Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.

    Spicy Italian sausage and garlic cooking in a pan.

    Step 4: Add the marinara sauce and cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese is melted, about 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up the cream cheese and combine it with the sauce.

    Pasta sauce with sausage and cream cheese in a pan.

    Step 5: Add the parmesan and drained pasta to the sauce and stir until the pasta is coated and the cheese is melted. Top with extra parmesan and serve.

    Pasta with bits of sausage on a fork.

    Variations

    • Add a protein like chicken or shrimp
    • Use long noodles like spaghetti or bucatini
    • Sauté some veggies with the sausage--peppers or onions would be great!
    • Add some butter to the sauce for extra creaminess

    Frequently asked questions

    Can I exclude the cream cheese?

    You sure can! The sauce will be a little spicier and less creamy without the cream cheese, but it'll still be tasty! If you're just looking for an alternative to the cream cheese, try adding a couple of tablespoons of butter to the pasta sauce for a little extra creaminess.

    Can I use a different kind of pasta?

    You can! Penne, cavatappi, and bowtie come to mind as good alternatives. A long pasta like spaghetti or bugatini would work too.

    What should I serve this spicy sausage pasta with?

    Feel free to add a protein (chicken or shrimp would be great) to the top of this pasta, or serve it with a side salad or vegetables. Asparagus, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts all come to mind as great options.

    Two bowls of spicy sausage pasta.
    Spicy Sausage Pasta Recipe

    Spicy Sausage Pasta Recipe

    Recipe by Mollie

    This spicy sausage pasta is the perfect weeknight recipe. It's creamy, full of flavor and made with a few basic ingredients like hot Italian sausage, store-bought marinara sauce, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Best of all, it comes together in less than 20 minutes.

    Course: DinnerCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy
    5 from 2 votes
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    Servings

    6

    servings
    Cooking time

    15

    minutes
    Calories

    800

    kcal
    Total time

    15

    minutes
    Cook Mode

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    Ingredients

    • 1 pound 1 fusilli or other short-cut pasta

    • 1 pound 1 hot Italian sausage

    • 4 cloves 4 garlic, minced

    • 4 ounces 4 cream cheese, softened

    • 24 ounces 24 marinara sauce

    • 1 cup 1 parmesan cheese, grated or shredded

    Directions

    • Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
    • While the pasta is cooking, cook the sausage in a large pan over medium heat until cooked through, about 5-6 minutes. Break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula as it cooks. If your sausage has a casing around it, remove the casing before cooking.
    • Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
    • Add the marinara sauce and cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese is melted, about 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally to break up the cream cheese and combine it with the sauce.
    • Add the parmesan and drained pasta to the sauce and stir until the pasta is coated and the cheese is melted. Top with extra parmesan and serve.

    Notes

    • We like Victoria or Rao's marinara sauce the best.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rochelle says

      August 10, 2022 at 6:02 pm

      Love this recipe for busy weeknights! So easy!

      Reply

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