I share with you so many Delicious pasta dishes from classic spaghetti Bolognese to Pasta Carbonara. This Penne Pasta and Sausage in Homemade Marinara Sauce is the perfect pasta recipe for midweek meals as well as easy pasta dishes you can rustle up using your cupboard ingredients.
Despite the fact that we enjoy different things, there is one thing we can agree upon: We all enjoy well-prepared food! As Virginia Woolf said in one of her books: “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
Cook up this Easy and quick pasta dish in one pan, then get a glass of wine and enjoy delicious and simple midweek meal. It’s budget-friendly too, making it a great meal for the family.
Sit back and tuck into a big bowl of pasta with delicious sausage, a creamy tomato pasta with – as you can guess –home made marinara sauce, which balances out the intense flavors of the sausage and fresh graded Parmigiano- Reggiano cheese.
This Penne Pasta and Sausage in Homemade Marinara Sauce is such a easy, quick, cheap, simple and satisfying meal in just 30 minutes.
You don’t need to travel to Italy to have delicious Pasta dish for dinner, nor need to go to fancy restaurant either. You can have this mouthwatering ,heavenly good dish at the comfort of your home. Italians don’t eat only because they feel the need to, they eat because food is something you should dedicate yourself to, something you should enjoy. Did you know that typical traditional meals in Italy contain four or five courses? During lunchtime and dinnertime, but also especially during weekends, meals in Italy can last for hours, much longer than in other cultures.
Could you guess why? It’s simple. Meals are often seen not for sustenance, but as a time to spend with family and friends, to enjoy each other’s company and forget for some time every day’s burdens and duties.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS RECIPE?
- It’s done in 30 minutes
- Easy weeknight dinner
- Amazing flavor
- You can use any type of pasta – spaghetti, linguini, fettuccine, etc.
- You can make the sauce in advance. Simply, freeze it, and use it when you are making the dish
- Simple and affordable ingredients
TIPS FOR SUCCESS AND TECHNIQUES
- Add tomato paste for more rich and deep flavor.
- Cook your pasta al dente and finish cooking it in the sauce- that way the pasta absorbs all the flavors
- Always save pasta water to added into your sauce-this is pure gold
This meal is perfect on its own, but sometime I like to add some veggies, such as peas or broccoli. Add some crushed red pepper on top of your pasta and you have a winner.
What Can I Serve This Pasta With?
Like I said this is perfect meal as is, but if you want to make a Italian feast you bet I have the perfect flavor enhancers to make it :
- Quick and Easy Minestrone Soup
- Spinach and Strawberries Salad with Blue Cheese Crumbles and Mustard Vinaigrette
- Fall Salad with Cranberries, Walnuts, Feta Cheese and Dijon Vinaigrette
- Arugula and Fennel Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette
- Caesar Fondue Salad
- Kale, Quinoa and Orange Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
There is no better way to feel the Italian culture than to start eating like Italian and start speaking like Italian. So lets get started!

Penne Pasta and Sausage in Homemade Marinara Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 pound Penne pasta - or any of your choice
- 1 pound sausage - kielbasa or Italian sausage
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 medium yellow onion - chopped
- 6 cups marinara sauce
- 2 tbsp. tomato paste
- fresh chopped parsley
- 1/2 tsp salt - or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper - or to taste
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese - fresh graded is better
- crushed red pepper - to taste -optional
Instructions
Cook pasta:
- According to package instructions. Drain and set aside. Keep 2 cups of the pasta water.
Brown the sausage:
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the garlic and onions and sauté for a few minutes until the onions soften, 3 to 5 minutes on medium high temperature.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds, then add the white wine and cook for a minute, homemade marinara sauce, salt, pepper, cooked sausage to the pot and simmer for 10-15 minutes om low.
- Toss in the pasta and cook for 2 minutes. Add some of the pasta water you save earlier. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sprinkle some Parmesan cheese and some crushed red pepper if you using.
Notes
- If you reheat in the oven, the pasta will absorb some of the sauce. Keeping it covered will help it from getting dry.
- Store this pasta in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 4-5 days, which makes it perfect for your weekly meal-prep!
- During reheating if the pasta gets dry, add some veggie or chicken stock
- You can freeze the sauce up to 5 months