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Creamy Tomato Pasta served in a rich and delicious creamy tomato sauce with Italian sausage. This recipe is super easy and addictively delicious, made with simple ingredients in just 20 minutes!
When it comes to quick and comforting dinners it’s hard to beat a big bowl of pasta and this creamy tomato sausage pasta ticks all the boxes.
A rich and creamy tomato sauce made with Italian sausages, garlic and white wine. It’s so simple and easy and ready in just 20 minutes or less!
One important note (which I also mention a few times below) is to make sure you use good quality tomatoes, it makes a huge difference to the overall flavour of the sauce!
See the recipe below including notes on ingredients, step by step photos, tips, variations and a video tutorial. For the full printable recipe scroll to the bottom or click the recipe link below
Ingredients
See the photo below that shows you everything you need to make our creamy tomato pasta with sausage plus some notes and substitutions on ingredients.
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Pin ItIngredient notes and substitutions
- Pasta – the pasta we used in the photos is called but any short dried pasta shape will do such as penne or rigatoni.
- Italian sausage – I love to use Italian sausages with fennel in them but regular Italian sausages will do.
- Tomato passata – in the US it’s known as tomato puree or strained tomatoes and usually comes in tall jars. I recommend using Mutti or Cirio brands as that’s what I use. I’ve also heard that Cento tomato puree is good in the States but I haven’t tried it myself.
- Mascarpone – this adds a rich creaminess to the tomato sauce. Alternatively, you can use heavy cream (double cream UK).
- Garlic – always use fresh garlic and no ground/powdered garlic.
- White wine – Pinot Grigio, Vermentino or Pecorino all work really well. Stay away from cooking wine and if you’re avoiding alcohol you can omit it altogether.
Step by step photos and instructions
Preparation tips!
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil then salt it well.
- Do not add the pasta right away. You’ll notice in the recipe card below that the pasta is added at step 5. This is because the pasta takes 7-8 minutes to cook and that’s the perfect amount of time to simmer the sauce.
Brown the sausages – you’ll want to remove the sausages from their casing so they can be easily broken up whilst browning. Once browned, add the garlic and oregano until fragrant then add the wine and reduce by half (photos 1-4).
Add the passata – add the tomato passata and simmer for 3-5 minutes then add the mascarpone, stir until melted in (photos 5-7).
Add pasta – add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente. The time will depend on the pasta shape you use so check the packet instructions.
Simmer sauce – continue to simmer the sauce until the pasta is cooked. Transfer the pasta to the sauce either with a slotted spoon or drain it first (make sure to reserve some pasta water!).
Serve – add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and stir into the sauce with the pasta until fully coated. Add a splash or two of pasta water if needed. Serve topped with more cheese (photo 8).
Recipe tips and variations
- Reserve pasta water – always save some starchy pasta water once the pasta is done cooking. It’s great for emulsifying pasta sauces to add creaminess and extra flavour, especially if you need to stretch your pasta sauce a bit further.
- Choosing a pasta shape – the creamy tomato sauce is very versatile and will go with almost any pasta. I tend to always serve it with short pasta such as Fusilli Bucati Corti (in the photos), Rigatoni or Penne.
- Make it spicy – you can do this by either using spicy Italian sausages or try adding in some dried chilli flakes or even fresh red chilli. If using fresh, chop it finely and add it with the garlic. Add it according to your taste, you may want to add a little more mascarpone or cream in addition to it.
- Add spinach – spinach is something that I love adding to pasta. Try adding 1-2 handfuls of baby spinach right before you add the pasta.
- No tomato passata? If you don’t have passata (tomato puree US) then canned crushed tomatoes will also work really well.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, you can make the sauce in advance and then heat it up as you boil your pasta.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days and eaten cold or reheated. You’ll need to add a splash of water when reheating to loosen the sauce.
Of course, for a meat-free option just omit the sausage. The pasta sauce is insanely delicious just as it is.
More easy pasta recipes to try
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Step By Step Photos Above
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Creamy Tomato Pasta with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 14 oz short dried pasta, such as fusilli bucati corti (pictured in recipe), penne or rigatoni (400g)
- 3 large Italian fennel sausages, regular Italian sausages will also do (about 240g/8.4oz)
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 clove garlic, crushed or finely chopped
- 2 1/4 cups tomato passata (tomato puree US), (500g)
- 2 heaped tablespoons mascarpone
- ¼ cup white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Vermentino (60ml)
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, (20g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan or skillet. Remove the sausages from their casings and add to the pan. Break them up into small pieces with the side of a wooden spoon or spatula and continue to cook until browned.
- Add the garlic and oregano and saute for 1 minute until fragrant then add the white wine. Let the wine reduce by half then add the tomato passata (tomato puree US).
- Let it simmer gently for 3-5 minutes then add the mascarpone, stir until melted then simmer gently.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (usually around 8 minutes depending on pasta type). Let the tomato sauce simmer gently while the pasta is cooking.
- Taste the sauce for salt and add a pinch of salt and pepper as needed. Drain the pasta making sure to reserve about ½ cup (120ml) of pasta water.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce with 1-2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water (add more if needed). Turn off the heat and stir to coat in the sauce, add the Parmigiano Reggiano and stir through again.
- Serve in bowls with extra parmigiano on top.
Video
Notes
- No tomato passata? If you don’t have passata (tomato puree US) then canned crushed tomatoes will also work really well. Make sure to use a good quality brand.
- Reserve pasta water – always save some starchy pasta water once the pasta is done cooking. It’s great for emulsifying pasta sauces to add creaminess and extra flavour, especially if you need to stretch your pasta sauce a bit further.
- Make it spicy – you can do this by either using spicy Italian sausages or try adding in some dried chilli flakes or even fresh red chilli. If using fresh, chop it finely and add it with the garlic. Add it according to your taste, you may want to add a little more mascarpone or cream in addition to it.
- Leftovers and storage – leftovers will keep well for up to 2 days in the fridge. You can eat it cold or reheat it. When reheating you’ll likely need to add a splash of water to loosen the sauce.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was so delicious, loved it.