Description
This Sausage Spaghetti recipe combines spicy or sweet Italian sausage with a rich, flavorful marinara sauce enhanced by red wine, fresh vegetables, and a touch of cream cheese for a smooth finish. Packed with baby spinach and topped with grated Parmesan, it’s a wholesome, delicious meal perfect for dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
Sausage and Meat
- 1 lb. Italian sausage links, hot or sweet
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup dry red wine
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper (½ red and ½ green), diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 chicken bouillon cube
- 32 oz. marinara sauce
- 2 tablespoons cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
Pasta and Garnish
- 3/4 lb. spaghetti
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the Sausage: Remove casings from sausage links and cut into 3/4-inch slices or form smoother meatballs. In a large, high-walled skillet, heat 6 tablespoons water over medium heat. Add sausage, cover, and cook for 10 minutes, stirring halfway. Uncover, increase heat slightly, add olive oil, and sear sausage until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Boil Pasta Water: Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the spaghetti. Once boiling, add 1/2 tablespoon salt.
- Deglaze Pan: Turn heat off on the sausage skillet and add red wine. Turn heat back to medium and use a spatula to scrape up browned bits from the bottom and sides. Let wine bubble and reduce by half, about 3-4 minutes.
- Sauté Vegetables: Add butter, diced onion, bell pepper, and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook and soften for 5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add Sauce Ingredients: Stir in Worcestershire sauce, honey, oregano, basil, mustard powder, diced tomatoes with juice, chicken bouillon cube, and marinara sauce. Stir to combine and bring to a boil.
- Simmer Sauce with Sausage: Reduce heat to a simmer and add the browned sausage back into the sauce. Simmer gently, partially covered, while cooking spaghetti.
- Cook Spaghetti: Cook spaghetti in the boiling salted water until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- Finish Sauce: Stir cream cheese into the sauce until melted and smooth. Add baby spinach and heat through for 2-3 minutes until wilted.
- Combine and Serve: Add cooked spaghetti to the sauce, stirring to coat evenly and achieve preferred sauce-to-pasta ratio. Serve hot topped with grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Use quality Italian sausage such as Premio Sweet Italian or Bianco & Sons for best flavor.
- For wine, use Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Pinot Noir. Substitute with equal parts beef broth and 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar if no alcohol is preferred.
- Recommend Rao’s Marinara Sauce or Carbone Marinara for optimal taste due to their high quality.
- Use Rotel diced tomatoes for a spicier variation.
- If omitting the bouillon cube, taste and adjust salt at the end to compensate.
- Cream cheese adds creaminess; tub cream cheese melts more easily but block cream cheese works too.
- Substitute kale for spinach but allow extra cooking time to wilt and soften.
- Optional addition: sauté mushrooms separately in butter and add to the sauce for extra flavor.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. This dish reheats well.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
