Spicy Tomato Vodka Pasta with Italian Sausage
This Spicy Tomato Vodka Pasta with Italian Sausage combines fresh tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, garlic, spicy vodka sauce, and Italian sausage in a rich and creamy pasta sauce. Finished with freshly grated Parmesan, dollops of creamy ricotta, and basil pesto, it’s an easy, comforting pasta dinner with just the right amount of spice.
Ingredients
- 16 oz cavatappi pasta (or preferred pasta)
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced or thinly sliced
- 6 mini sweet bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 4 med tomatoes on the vine
- 24-32 oz Carbone Spicy Vodka Sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water, plus more if needed
- 1/2 tsp salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil (and more for drizzle)
- whole milk ricotta cheese, for topping
- basil pesto, for topping
- extra freshly grated Parmesan, for topping
Instructions
- Heat a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Remove the Italian sausage from the casing, if necessary, and add it to the pan. Cook until browned and cooked through, breaking the sausage into bite-sized crumbles as it cooks. Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the onion and sliced mini bell peppers. If the pan seems dry, add a small drizzle of olive oil. Cook over medium heat for about 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add the grated garlic and cook for another 30–60 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Keep the vegetables in the pan and add the whole tomatoes. Drizzle the tops of the tomatoes lightly with olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
- Reduce the heat and allow the tomatoes to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. As the tomatoes soften and cook through, gently mash them into the onion and pepper mixture to create a rustic tomato sauce.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cavatappi and cook according to the package directions until just shy of al dente. Before draining, reserve at least 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
- Once the tomatoes have cooked down, stir the Spicy Vodka Sauce and heavy cream into the pan. Add the cooked Italian sausage back to the sauce and stir until everything is well combined. Keep over low heat while the pasta finishes cooking.
- Add the drained Cavatappi directly to the sauce and toss until well coated.
- Sprinkle 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan over the pasta. Pour 1/4 cup of the reserved hot pasta water over the Parmesan and toss everything together until the cheese melts and the sauce becomes creamy and coats the pasta. Add another splash of pasta water if needed to reach your preferred consistency.
- Serve warm with small dollops of ricotta and basil pesto on top. Finish with additional freshly grated Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Spice level: The Carbone Spicy Vodka Sauce gives this pasta a noticeable kick. For a non-spicy version, substitute the spicy vodka sauce or Carbone's Classic Vodka Pasta Sauce.
Italian sausage: Sweet Italian sausage adds a lot of flavor without making the pasta even spicier. Mild Italian sausage can also be used, as well as ground beef or ground turkey.
Pasta: Cavatappi is perfect for this recipe because all of those curves hold onto the creamy tomato vodka sauce, but another short pasta can easily be substituted. Rigatoni, penne, or fusilli.
Pesto & ricotta: I like adding the ricotta and basil pesto directly to each serving rather than mixing them into the entire pan. You get little bites of cool, creamy ricotta and fresh basil pesto throughout the pasta, and everyone can add as much or as little as they prefer. If you don't like ricotta, fresh burrata would be my next choice.