Summer Pasta with Sausage, Cherry Tomatoes, + Basil

Summer Pasta with Sausage, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil is the ideal dinner party dish. It's so flavorful and pairs really nicely with a good bottle of red wine. This recipe is pretty simple in terms of the cooking steps and ingredients, but it does take a solid hour or so to get on the table so it's best for when you're in the mood to slow down a bit and enjoy the process. Don't take any shortcuts on browning the sausage or cooking the tomatoes down, as both steps add incredible flavor.

Keep this recipe in your back pocket for anytime you want to treat yourself or loved ones to a really special meal. I am warning you in advance - if you make this pasta you will never stop getting requests to make it again because it is out-of-this-world delicious. So put on some music, pour some wine, and get cookin'! As a note, omit the sausage to keep it vegetarian and vegan. Check out the Riffs section at the bottom of the recipe for more suggested ingredient swaps as needed.

Summer Pasta with Sausage, Cherry Tomatoes, + Basil

Summer Pasta with Sausage, Cherry Tomatoes, and Basil is the ideal dinner party dish. It's so flavorful and pairs really nicely with a good bottle of red wine. Omit the sausage to keep it vegetarian and vegan. This recipe makes 6 servings.

Prep:
5
min
cook:
45
min
total:
60
min
Ingredients
  • 1 lb dried pasta, something short with nooks and crannies for cradling the sauce is ideal, i.e. Pipe Rigate or Lumache, Creste di Gallo, Fusili, Cascatelli, or Campanelle
  • 2 tablespoons + 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 lb fresh Italian sausage, preferably half spicy and half mild. Use fresh links and remove from casing or bulk ground.
  • kosher salt
  • 1/2 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 lbs cherry tomatoes, kept whole
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh basil for cooking, plus more for serving

Instructions
Crisp the sausage + cook the aromatics
  1. In a heavy bottomed dutch oven or large pan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground sausage, break up with a wooden spoon, and cook until lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once golden brown, remove sausage from pan and set aside - you'll add it back to the pan to cook down with the tomatoes later.
  2. Add few glugs of olive oil to pan, add onions, and season generously with kosher salt. Stir to combine and saute the onions for several minutes until soft, stirring occasionally to lift up the caramelized brown bits in the pan.
  3. Add the garlic, and saute until fragrant, about a minute. Add tomato paste and give everything a big stir to combine the mixture. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until the whole mixture starts to caramelize. Season generously with salt.
Cook tomatoes down + finish the sauce
  1. Add cherry tomatoes, 1/3 cup olive oil, and 3-4 sprigs fresh basil to pan. Season generously with kosher salt. Keep on medium to low heat for 15 minutes, being sure to gently crush some of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon to help them break down.
  2. Add the sausage back into the pan and cover with lid. Continue cooking on medium to low heat for another 20-30 minutes, until tomatoes have broken down more and the mixture becomes saucy. You'll want to gently crush any tomatoes that haven't broken down at this point. While the sauce is cooking down, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
Cook the pasta + serve
  1. Cook the pasta just shy of al dente, it'll finish cooking in the sauce. Once cooked, reserve a cup or so of the starchy pasta cooking water and set aside - you may want to use it later to loosen up the sauce. Transfer cooked pasta to sauce and fold to combine. Taste and adjust for seasoning. If you want it a little saucier, add a splash of pasta water.
  2. Divide into bowls and top with lots of fresh basil. It's pretty rich as is, so I don't think grated parmesan is totally necessary, but feel free to add it, it'll be delicious either way.
Let's riff
  • The Sausage: Use fresh ground bulk Italian sausage or fresh Italian sausage links and take them out of the casing before cooking. I prefer half spicy half mild, but do all mild or all spicy if preferred. Chicken or turkey sausage work as well if you're not big on pork. In a pinch, any ground meat plus a few generous pinches of Italian seasoning will get the job done, too.
  • The Tomatoes: I use cherry tomatoes because their small size means that their flavor is extremely concentrated, and they are naturally high in pectin, which makes for a very luscious sauce. Sub in early girl tomatoes or Romas if that's all you can find! I'm working on a version of this recipe that uses canned San Marzano tomatoes, which can be made any time of year when tomatoes are not in season - stay tuned!
  • The Basil: Fresh marjoram is a great sub.
  • The Pasta: I prefer something short with nooks and crannies for cradling the sauce is ideal, i.e. Pipe Rigate or Lumache, Creste di Gallo, Fusili, Cascatelli, or Campanelle. I tried Paccheri, the large, somwhat flat tube-shaped pasta, and while it looked absolutely beautiful (pictured in the main recipe photo), I didn't love it with this sauce, so I'd probably steer clear of larger flat noodles here.
  • The Vegan + Vegetarian Swaps: Omit the sausage entirely and skip right to the onions/garlic/tomato paste step in the cooking. If you go this route, you may want to add more tomato paste, and/or another half pound to pound of cherry tomatoes for added flavor.

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Phil Stewart
October 7, 2024
Leigh Grassi
October 4, 2024
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October 3, 2024
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October 1, 2024
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September 28, 2024
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Josefa
September 5, 2024
Jay
August 25, 2024
Hey! Went to make this tonight but mine turned out very watery/liquidy - any idea what went wrong? Just used organic hellmans and a bunch of basil with an immersion blender - maybe used too much basil?
Philipp
August 23, 2024
Alicia Motley
August 15, 2024
Helene Langley
August 9, 2024
Suzanne McColl
August 7, 2024
Alba Renteria
August 4, 2024
Williams Swift
August 3, 2024
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July 31, 2024
Vada
July 30, 2024
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July 29, 2024
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July 28, 2024
Bobbie Prout
July 27, 2024
Dolly Sackett
July 25, 2024
Octavio Ranieri
July 25, 2024
Kim W
July 22, 2024
I made this last night, and it was one of the most delicious meals I’ve ever eaten! I am going to make this a lot while the tomatoes are in season. Thank you!
Dorie Akehurst
July 22, 2024
Catherine Hann
July 21, 2024
Belen Speed
July 18, 2024
Carmela Clift
July 18, 2024
Jenna Symon
July 15, 2024
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July 14, 2024
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July 10, 2024
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July 6, 2024
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June 29, 2024
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June 26, 2024
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June 23, 2024
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June 20, 2024
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June 18, 2024
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June 15, 2024
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June 15, 2024
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June 11, 2024
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June 9, 2024
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June 5, 2024
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June 4, 2024
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May 31, 2024
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May 31, 2024
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May 20, 2024
Brendan Bear
May 9, 2024
Nora Perry
May 8, 2024
Mark Moore
May 6, 2024
Charley McWilliam
May 5, 2024
Latesha
April 30, 2024
April 30, 2024
Maggie Covington
April 27, 2024
Gene Penny
April 21, 2024
Hilario Druitt
April 17, 2024
Tilly Killough
April 16, 2024
Jeannine Turner
April 13, 2024
Alvin Goold
April 7, 2024
Dean Baader
April 6, 2024
Frank Hardie
April 5, 2024
Elvira
April 4, 2024
Aleisha Lee
March 31, 2024
Noreen Stretch
March 28, 2024
Sherman Cruz
March 25, 2024
Ludie Key
March 23, 2024
Gini
March 20, 2024
Loved the soup. Croutons too much trouble. Fast in a cup!
Ray Beall
March 16, 2024
Richard
February 22, 2024
send me fruits to add with another fruit to cure disease
Deneen Medland
April 17, 2023
Kelle Trouton
April 17, 2023
Caroline
January 23, 2023
I made this same amazing salad with the following additions: I used a bed of chopped romaine hearts, and squeezed the juice of all the trimmed cara cara oranges, plus 1/2 lemon, added a drizzled of Tupelo honey on top. The herbs: chopped fennel fronds and mint. Everyone went crazy for it!
Marcus
YUM! Definitely going to pair this with a nice and funky natty white next time!
Caroline
January 23, 2023
I made this same amazing salad with the following additions: I used a bed of chopped romaine hearts, and squeezed the juice of all the trimmed cara cara oranges, plus 1/2 lemon, added a drizzled of Tupelo honey on top. The herbs: chopped fennel fronds and mint. Everyone went crazy for it!