Today we had a simple spicy sausage pasta for dinner. I’ve been pretty busy this week with work, which will hopefully secure me some more work. The only problem is, I’ve been so busy I have barely spent any time in the kitchen.
I’ve been living off simple pasta dishes that are ready in less than 15 minutes all week! I am having to put more thought into pasta dishes at the moment to stop them from becoming repetitive. I love pasta, so this hasn’t been a problem for me!
Tomato-based sauces are a pasta favourite with my family, so it was going to be a tomato-based sauce. I just didn’t have much else in it, just some smoked sausage, a bunch of sausages from the butcher, and a pack of pancetta. It is actually amazing what I can do with a jar of passata.
Spicy sausage pasta is very versatile. You can add most fridge-bottom veggies to this spicy sausage pasta to bulk it up a bit more if needed. Grated carrot is a fabulous addition to any tomato-based pasta sauce. Not only is it a great money-saving tip for when you’ve not got very much cash, but it’s a brilliant way to get extra vegetables into fussy eaters.
Delicious Spicy Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ medium smoked sausage with garlic - I used Matesons, but if you live near a European Deli, Kielbasa works just as well and has a lot more of a garlic kick!
6 medium sausages- ¼ pound pancetta - cubed
3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 large jar passata or crushed tomatoes (tomato puree with seeds removed)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper - freshly ground
½ teaspoon chili flakes (chilli flakes in British English)
Instructions
- Push the sausage meat out of the skin and roll it into small balls. Each sausage should make roughly four or five mini sausage meatballs.
- Fry the mini sausage meatballs in a little oil until crispy on the outside and set to one side.
- Fry the pancetta and the smoked sausage in the leftover oil until they are crispy, being careful that they don’t burn, and set aside with the sausage meatballs.
- De-glaze the pan with the balsamic vinegar and then add the passata, black pepper, and chilli flakes.
- Cook for a minute or two, and then transfer the sausage meatballs, pancetta, and smoked sausage back into the pan.
- Cook for 10 minutes on medium-high heat until the sauce has thickened and reduced by a third.
- During this time, cook the pasta as per the instructions on the packet. If you are using spaghetti or tagliatelle, add some oil to the water to stop it from sticking.
- Once the pasta is cooked, drain it but add a little of the pasta water to the sauce to give it a nice sheen.
- Toss the pasta in the sauce.
