Tomato Basil Sausage Pasta 🍅🌿🥩🍝 Juicy, Herby, and Packed With Sweet-Tart Tomatoes and Savory Sausage in a Light, Glossy Sauce

This pasta brings together rustic simplicity and rich, fresh flavor — seared Italian sausage, blistered cherry tomatoes, and a hit of garlic, all tossed with pasta and torn basil in a silky, naturally thickened sauce.

It’s clean but bold, and built to impress without any cream or cheese overload.

Ingredients (Serves 3–4)

For the pasta

• 12 oz spaghetti, rigatoni, or penne
• Salted water for boiling
• ½ cup reserved pasta water

For the sausage & aromatics

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb Italian sausage (sweet, spicy, or a mix), casings removed
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced or minced
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), halved or whole
• Salt and pepper to taste

To finish

• 1–2 tbsp olive oil (for gloss and richness)
• ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• Grated Parmesan (optional)
• Optional: lemon zest or a splash of balsamic

Instructions

Step 1: Cook the pasta
Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.

Step 2: Brown the sausage
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up, until browned and just cooked through. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Step 3: Sauté garlic & tomatoes
In the same pan, lower heat to medium. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté 1 minute until fragrant. Add cherry tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes burst and start to form a sauce.

Step 4: Build the sauce
Return sausage to the skillet. Stir in a splash of pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil. Simmer 2 minutes to combine and emulsify.

Step 5: Combine & toss
Add cooked pasta to the pan. Toss with the sauce until glossy and coated. Stir in fresh basil just before serving.

Step 6: Serve hot
Top with more basil, Parmesan if using, and an optional drizzle of good olive oil or lemon zest.

Flavor Variations

• Add spinach or arugula for a green lift
• Stir in sun-dried tomatoes or roasted red peppers
• Swap sausage for browned mushrooms for a vegetarian version
• Use bucatini or orecchiette for variety in texture
• Finish with toasted pine nuts or garlic breadcrumbs for crunch

Pro Tips

• Let the cherry tomatoes blister and reduce slightly for deeper flavor
• Don’t overcrowd the pan when browning sausage — crisp = flavor
• Use a mix of yellow and red cherry tomatoes for visual punch
• Finish with olive oil for extra silkiness — it makes a difference
• Tear basil just before serving to avoid bruising

Final Thoughts

Tomato Basil Sausage Pasta is rustic, clean, and full of craveable contrast — sweet tomatoes, savory meat, peppery basil, and silky noodles all coming together in one skillet. It’s fast, flavorful, and always feels just a little more special than expected.

Sear it. Burst it. Swirl it fresh. 🍅🌿🥩🍝

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