Italian Sausage Spaghetti
Italian sausage links are browned in olive oil, cooled, and sliced into pieces. They then simmer in marinara sauce for about 1½ hours until thick. Spaghetti is boiled separately, tossed in the hot sauce, and served topped with sausage pieces, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and parsley. It's a rich, slow-simmered comfort dinner.
Equipment
- Large saucepan or pot with a lid
- Large pot
- Plate
- Colander
- Knife and cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage links
- 1 32-ounce jar marinara sauce
- 1½ cups water
- 1 16-ounce package spaghetti
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley, or to taste
- Salt for the pasta water
Instructions
- Brown the sausage: Heat the olive oil in the saucepan over medium heat. Add the sausage links, cover, and cook until browned and just barely cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. You can raise the heat slightly, but don’t let the oil smoke.
- Cool the sausage: Turn off the heat and move the sausages to a plate to cool completely.
- Add the sauce: Add the marinara sauce to the pot. Pour the water into the empty jar, seal, and shake to rinse it out, then pour the liquid into the pot and return it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low.
- Slice the sausage: Slice each fully cooled sausage into 4 pieces. Add the sausage and any juices to the simmering sauce.
- Simmer: Stir and raise the heat to just between low and medium-low. Cook at a gentle, steady simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
- Finish the sauce: Taste and adjust the seasonings. Skim about half of the fat from the surface and keep cooking until the sauce is reduced and thick, about 30 minutes longer.
- Cook the spaghetti: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti, stirring occasionally, until almost tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 11 minutes.
- Combine: Drain the spaghetti and add it directly to the hot sauce. Mix until thoroughly combined, cover, and let sit for 1 minute so the pasta absorbs some of the sauce.
- Serve: Divide the pasta among 4 plates and top each with 4 pieces of sausage. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and parsley.
