This Easy Spicy Spaghetti Recipe With Sausage is perfect for a Sunday night at home with your whole family. This meaty spaghetti sauce is flavored with shallots, garlic, and red chili peppers. Plus, the recipe calls for no added sugars in the sauce and lots of fiber from the whole wheat angel hair pasta to keep this meal diabetic-friendly. I recommend topping each serving with some grated parmesan cheese, and fresh basil for a comforting meal you'll want to make every week. Serve it with a simple green salad or a side of broccoli.
The History Of This Great Recipe
This particular recipe is very near and dear to my heart. Perhaps it’s because this is the same recipe I made for my husband, Jarod when we had our first official date. I had mentioned to him my love for cooking on more than one occasion but never had the opportunity to really showcase my skills.
He asked me what my signature dish was, and I told him about my spicy spaghetti. Being part Italian, he was very excited to try my recipe so I decided to invite him over for a dinner date.
I don’t always believe in “signs from the universe” but when he showed up at the door with the exact same bottle of wine I had also picked up for dinner, I knew we were meant to be. And here we are 10 years later and this is still one of his favorite meals. I know, cheesy like the parmesan on top of this spaghetti but let me tell you this man has my heart.
So ladies (or gentlemen)….if you’re trying to win someone’s heart, invite them over for dinner, make them this spaghetti and pick up a bottle of Apothic Red Wine. You can thank me later!
What To Add To Spaghetti To Spice It Up
Believe it or not, you don't need much to add spice to your homemade spaghetti. To start you can cook with a spicy Italian sausage which will add some extra flavor to your finished sauce. I also love the addition of freshly diced shallots, minced garlic, and red chili flakes. You could also add a dash of your favorite hot sauce to kick it up an extra notch. It all depends on your preferred spice level.
How To Make The Spicy Spaghetti Sauce
The sauce really makes this spaghetti a winner. It can be easier to use store-bought sauce when you're really in a rush, but I promise it doesn't take too much longer to make it yourself and the results will be worth it!
You want to start by cooking the spicy Italian sausage first. This sets the tone for the rest of the ingredients because they all get cooked in the same pan. Once the sausage is finished cooking, you set it aside until the end. Cooking the shallots, herbs, and other seasonings together in a little bit of the sausage grease left behind before adding the tomatoes adds amazing flavor to this dish.
This sauce is more on the chunky side once it's all said and done, but distributes nicely over all the noodles, giving you a little spice in every bite. If you prefer a more thin sauce, you can add a can of tomato sauce if you like. Just add it in with the rest of the tomato ingredients per the recipe directions below.
Why Does My Spaghetti Sauce Taste Bland?
If your spaghetti sauce is tasting bland, it's due to a lack of seasoning. If you make my recipe like it's listed below you shouldn't have any problems. However, if you still want more flavor you can add extra black pepper, oregano, garlic, basil, chili flakes, or even a dash of cayenne pepper for an extra kick. I also included a bay leaf in my sauce because I find that it adds another layer of flavor that can often be left out of homemade spaghetti sauce but works beautifully in this recipe.
How To Store Leftover Spicy Spaghetti
This Spicy Spaghetti makes for excellent leftovers! I always make extra so we can have some for lunch or dinner the next day. Even my toddler who shies away from most spicy foods loves this spaghetti so I definitely need to have extra for him. I recommend keeping it in an airtight container in the fridge for no more than 3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or for a few minutes in a pot on the stove for more even cooking.
Tools Needed:
Large Skillet or Large Saucepan
Medium Pot
Cutting Board
Knife
Kitchen Tongs
Collander
Easy Spicy Spaghetti Recipe With Sausage
Ingredients
- 3 Spicy Italian Sausage Links (Chopped Into Chunks & Casings Removed)
- 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, crushed with juice
- 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 Shallot (Diced)
- 3 cloves Garlic (Minced)
- 2 teaspoon Oregano
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Basil (Chopped)
- ½ teaspoon Dried Red Pepper Flakes
- 1 Bay Leaf
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
Noodles
- 8 oz Whole Wheat Angel Hair Pasta
- Salt To Taste
Garnish
- Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Basil
Instructions
- Start by prepping the shallot, and garlic. You will want the shallots to be finely diced and the garlic to be minced. You can also use jarred garlic to save time if you prefer.
- Then you will heat the Italian sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Transfer the cooked sausage to a plate and drain it on paper towels. Save a small amount of the sausage grease in the pan (for extra flavor!) and then add the olive oil and butter.
- Once the butter has melted sauté the garlic, oregano, shallots, and red pepper flakes. Cook until fragrant stirring continuously for about 2 minutes.
- Next, add the sausage back into the pan. Cook for about 1 minute before adding the tomatoes, cilantro, salt, pepper, and basil. Increase the temperature to medium-high heat. This will bring the sauce to a slight boil. Then reduce the heat to low. Let the sauce simmer, covered, stirring occasionally for about 20-25 minutes.
- While the sauce is simmering, you will want to make the pasta. I use angel hair pasta which cooks really quickly so it should be done at the same time as your sauce. Start by boiling water and seasoning it with a few pinches of kosher salt to your liking. Then add the pasta and cook it according to the package instructions.
- When draining the cooked noodles be sure to reserve about ⅓ cup of pasta water to add to your sauce. This will help the sauce stick to your noodles better.
- Once the sauce is done simmering and your noodles are cooked, add the noodles to the same pan as the sauce. Use kitchen tongs to combine.
- Serve your pasta on a pasta plate with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Enjoy immediately and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
Making this recipe? Please tag me on Instagram @natashasfoodadventures so I can see your creations! I love getting to know you guys and can’t wait to see which recipe you will make next.
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