A mild spicy Hungarian sausage is blended into a simple and delicious garlic basil tomato sauce is the ultimate comfort meal ready in 30 minutes! Perfect recipe for those busy weekdays.
I just love this combination of flavours…why? Well, it takes me back to my childhood. The story goes like this…my Dad was not fond of spaghetti, I know what you are thinking….what!!?? He loved his Hungarian food and eating other cultural foods was not easy for him and the funny part of all of this is my Mom loved spaghetti, so when she made it my Dad was reluctant to eat it but he did. Mom would make her delicious spaghetti sauce with Hungarian-style Meatloaf, Beef Paprikash Stew, or Dad’s homemade Hungarian sausage. Us kids loved spaghetti anyway Mom made it. So I guess this recipe is a little bit of Hungary and Italy combined. I am fortunate enough to be able to purchase a local Hungarian sausage and one day, I will make an attempt to make Dad’s version, although, he never wrote down his recipe so it will be trial and error.
To this day, I have fond memories us sitting around the table with Dad enjoy spaghetti when it was made just right! Now, this sausage has lots of garlic and sweet and hot paprika so it’s a little spicy but rich in flavours. If you haven’t had this sausage before, I recommend it and the flavours work really well with the spaghetti.
WHAT INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE
- PASTA: I used capellini pasta which is thinner then spaghetti and other pastas that will work well for this recipe are spaghetti, penne, rigatoni or fusilli
- SAUSAGE: I added a mild spicy Hungarian sausage and other options are Italian mild or spicy sausage, chicken or turkey sausage
- ONION
- GARLIC
- CRUSHED TOMATOES: easily substitute whole or diced tomatoes and crunch them with a masher or blender before adding to the skillet
- ITALIAN SEASONING: if you don’t have Italian seasoning, my measurement is 1/2 teaspoon of basil, 1/4 teaspoon of oregano and thyme
- MARINARA SAUCE: if you have homemade marinara sauce, I would recommend to use that, I like to use my own recipe, Easy Homemade Marinara Sauce and I would suggestion to make it ahead or any store bought is always an option
- SEASONINGS: Himalayan is similar to sea salt
- FRESH HERBS: parsley and basil
- PARMESAN CHEESE: use freshly grated if all possible
HOW TO MAKE THIS SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS RECIPE
Start with cooking the pasta by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and add salt. Keep in mind capellini cooks quickly, since it’s a thinner pasta, within 5 minutes and if you choose another type of pasta, follow the instructions on the package. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add crumbled sausage and cook for 5 minutes until cooked through. Drain any excess fat. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute. Add Italian seasoning. Add the crunch tomatoes, marinara sauce, salt and 2 tablespoon of pasta water.
Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stir in parsley. Combine sauce with pasta until the coated and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the pasta. Cover with lid and simmer 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Garnishing with basil. Serve and enjoy!
When melting the Parmesan cheese to this recipe, allow it enough time to melt, giving it a rich cheesy texture. The chunks of sausage adds so much flavour when cooked without the casing. I recommend you try it and I promise, you will notice the difference. The combination of flavours is a perfect marriage.
DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS....
CAN YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE AHEAD? Absolutely, the long the sauce sits, the more flavourful it will become and store in the refrigerator covered with a lid. The pasta can be made ahead as well, but not necessary.
CAN I USE OTHER TYPES OF SAUSAGE FOR THIS RECIPE? My suggestion is to try the Hungarian mild sausage and if you are unable to find it, then an Italian sausage, Chorizo sausage, chicken or turkey sausage are options as well.
CAN I FREEZE THE LEFTOVERS? Yes you can and add it to a ziplock freezer bag or a glass container with a tight lid to avoid freezer burn. It can freeze up to 3 months. For the sauce only, you can freeze it up to 6 months.
TRY THESE OTHER DELICOUS SIMILAR RECIPES
- EASY TOMATO AND PESTO PASTA RECIPE
- CREAMY PESTO STUFFED SHELLS WITH MARINARA SAUCE
- PENNE WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND GRAPE TOMATOES
- CHICKEN AND SPINACH PASTA WITH CREAMY BASIL SAUCE
Easy Sausage Capellini Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 oz spaghetti pasta
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 12 oz (340 g.) mild spicy pork Hungarian sausage, casing removed (or Italian, chicken, turkey sausage)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 oz can crushed roasted tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 cups marinara sauce (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt
- 1/4 cup parsley
- basil for garnishing
- 1/4 cup (85g) Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt then add the pasta. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package, until al dente and drain. Reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add crumbled sausage and cook for 5 minutes until cooked through. Drain any excess fat. Add onions and saute for 3 minutes, add garlic and cook for another minute. Add Italian seasoning.
- Add the crunch tomatoes, marinara sauce, salt and 2 tablespoon of pasta water. Simmer for 5-7 minutes, stir in parsley. Combine sauce with pasta until the coated and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the pasta. Cover with lid and simmer 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted. Garnishing with basil. Serve and enjoy!
