Italian sausage makers add fennel pollen worth $200/pound—that's why grocery store versions taste like cardboard in comparison.
Sausage & Tomato Pasta
Dive into a bowl of pure comfort with this Sausage & Tomato Pasta! Bursting with savory Italian sausage and ripe, juicy tomatoes, this dish comes together in a flash, making it the perfect weeknight hero. Toss in a sprinkle of fresh basil for that extra pop, and you’ve got a meal that’s both satisfying and wallet-friendly!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
2
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 6 sausages
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1 whole egg
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 200g rigatoni (7.06 oz)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (15 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano (15 ml)
- Sea salt & black pepper
- 1 sprig of thyme, finely chopped
📦Other(2)
- 2 tsp chilli flakes (10 ml)
- 1 x 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes (13.5 fl oz)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cut a slit down the length of the sausages and remove the skin.
- 2
Add the olive oil into a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the peeled sausages to the pan and break them up with a spatula. Cook them for 6-8 minutes until browned and crisp. Continually break down the sausages as they cook.
- 3
Bring a pot of water to a boil, season generously with salt, then add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes depending on the shape and preference of firmness.
- 4
Add the chopped tinned tomatoes to the pan, season with salt and pepper, add the garlic, chilli flakes, dried oregano and a sprig of thyme, then mix all together. Cook this for 10 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn.
- 5
Beat together one egg in a bowl.
- 6
Add the cooked pasta and a small splash of starchy pasta water, mix this in until all combined, then remove the pan from the heat.
- 7
Add the beaten egg to the pasta and immediately mix this into the pasta and sauce so that it does scramble the eggs. This creates a lovely creamy texture to the sauce!
- 8
Check the sauce and pasta for seasoning, adjust to taste, then plate up and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Remove sausage casings by scoring lengthwise with a sharp knife at 15-20° angle to avoid cutting the meat, then peel backward like a banana skin.technique15-20° angle
- ✓Cook sausage pieces until internal temperature reaches 160°F and edges are deeply caramelized because the Maillard reaction creates 600+ flavor compounds that form the sauce base.technique160°F internal temp
- ✓Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining because its 12-15% starch content acts as a natural emulsifier to bind sauce to pasta.timing12-15% starch content
- ✓Temper the beaten egg by whisking in 2-3 tablespoons of hot pasta water first, preventing proteins from coagulating above 140°F when added to the pan.technique140°F coagulation point
- ✓Add the egg mixture off heat while pasta temperature is 120-130°F so proteins gently coagulate into silk-like strands rather than scrambled curds.timing120-130°F
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
2
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
Italian sausage makers add fennel pollen worth $200/pound—that's why grocery store versions taste like cardboard in comparison.
Sausage & Tomato Pasta
Dive into a bowl of pure comfort with this Sausage & Tomato Pasta! Bursting with savory Italian sausage and ripe, juicy tomatoes, this dish comes together in a flash, making it the perfect weeknight hero. Toss in a sprinkle of fresh basil for that extra pop, and you’ve got a meal that’s both satisfying and wallet-friendly!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(1)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
🥩Meat & Seafood(1)
- 6 sausages
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1 whole egg
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 200g rigatoni (7.06 oz)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste (15 ml)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(3)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano (15 ml)
- Sea salt & black pepper
- 1 sprig of thyme, finely chopped
📦Other(2)
- 2 tsp chilli flakes (10 ml)
- 1 x 400ml tin of chopped tomatoes (13.5 fl oz)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cut a slit down the length of the sausages and remove the skin.
- 2
Add the olive oil into a pan over a medium-high heat. Add the peeled sausages to the pan and break them up with a spatula. Cook them for 6-8 minutes until browned and crisp. Continually break down the sausages as they cook.
- 3
Bring a pot of water to a boil, season generously with salt, then add the pasta and cook for 8-10 minutes depending on the shape and preference of firmness.
- 4
Add the chopped tinned tomatoes to the pan, season with salt and pepper, add the garlic, chilli flakes, dried oregano and a sprig of thyme, then mix all together. Cook this for 10 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn.
- 5
Beat together one egg in a bowl.
- 6
Add the cooked pasta and a small splash of starchy pasta water, mix this in until all combined, then remove the pan from the heat.
- 7
Add the beaten egg to the pasta and immediately mix this into the pasta and sauce so that it does scramble the eggs. This creates a lovely creamy texture to the sauce!
- 8
Check the sauce and pasta for seasoning, adjust to taste, then plate up and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Remove sausage casings by scoring lengthwise with a sharp knife at 15-20° angle to avoid cutting the meat, then peel backward like a banana skin.technique15-20° angle
- ✓Cook sausage pieces until internal temperature reaches 160°F and edges are deeply caramelized because the Maillard reaction creates 600+ flavor compounds that form the sauce base.technique160°F internal temp
- ✓Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining because its 12-15% starch content acts as a natural emulsifier to bind sauce to pasta.timing12-15% starch content
- ✓Temper the beaten egg by whisking in 2-3 tablespoons of hot pasta water first, preventing proteins from coagulating above 140°F when added to the pan.technique140°F coagulation point
- ✓Add the egg mixture off heat while pasta temperature is 120-130°F so proteins gently coagulate into silk-like strands rather than scrambled curds.timing120-130°F