Liven up your noodles with this Spicy Spanish Chorizo Pasta Sauce
What do you do when you’re tired and just want to make a simple pasta dish but are sick and tired of all the standard tomato and basil sauces?
Take some Spanish chorizo and fry it in olive oil with some chili pepper flakes and garlic. Add some stewed tomatoes and dried oregano and let it simmer. Pour it over some al dente penne for lunch or a light dinner.
This sauce is fairly easy to make and just as tasty. Even my picky eater at home is in love with this easy pasta sauce but only if I omit the red chili flakes (which is fine since I add them at the end). If you don’t have anyone sensitive to heat you can always add the chili flakes to the olive oil along with the Spanish chorizo. This will give you a smokier flavor.
Delicious, easy and quick to make… No wonder it’s a favorite.
Why I haven’t used a pre-made sauce in ages
Growing up, I thought all pasta sauces came in jars or cans. Our spaghetti night always included a jar of Ragu or Prego (really, it was whichever one was on sale at the time). For a long time, I believed that only Italian grandmothers and expert chefs could make a tasty tomato sauce. In my head, I pictured them slaving away in the kitchen for hours at a time, constantly tasting and tweaking the recipe with more and more ingredients.
As I got older and traveled to places where jars of sauce were not so eager to come by, I learned just how much better a homemade could be. Not only that, but thanks to the internet and sheer contempt real Italians have no people ruining a traditional recipe, I learned about to do pasta properly.
This has made all the difference in my cooking. I regularly make pasta for dinner or lunch every week and not once have I used a pre-made sauce. I like to think of this as a healthier option as well. Making your sauce with fresh ingredients and a little love is a much better option than eating that jar of red sauce laden with excessive amounts of salt, sugar and preservatives. Besides, homemade sauces just taste better. So take it from me, don’t be afraid to venture out of your comfort zone and make your sauce from scratch. You just may never go back.
Spicy Chorizo and Tomato Pasta Sauce
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-5 1x
Description
This spicy chorizo pasta sauce can be thrown together in minutes and is easy to make. Serve over your favorite pasta for a tasty meal. #easymeals #chorizo #pasta #spicy #quickrecipes
Ingredients
- 200 g (7 oz) Spanish Chorizo
- 6 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 (400g / 14 oz) cans of stewed tomatoes
- 2 tsp of dried oregano
- 2 tsp of sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1–2 tsp of red chili flakes (optional)
Instructions
- Dice the Spanish Chorizo as finely as you can get it. I cut it into roughly 5 mm/ 1/4 inch pieces.
- Empty tomatoes into a large bowl and crush with your hands until no large chunks remain.
- In a large saucepan, add olive oil over medium/medium-high heat.
- Add chopped Chorizo and let cook until olive has picked up a reddish hue. This should take around 3-5 minutes. You can add the red chili flakes at this time if everyone is big on spice. BUT if you are like me and cooking for those that can’t take the heat, take out a small portion of the sauce into a smaller container for those with a milder palette. Then go back and add red chili flakes to the remaining sauce at the end and let cook
- Once the oil has picked up the color and flavor of the Chorizo, add minced garlic, stir and cook until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add crushed tomatoes and oregano. Stir together, cover and cook for 8-10 minutes until nice and bubbly and all flavors have married together.
- Sprinkle sugar over sauce and stir.
- Continue to cook for a minute or two.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste then serve.
- Serve over al dente penne pasta with a garnish of Italian parsley and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Sauce, Pasta
- Method: simmering
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Chorizo recipes to drool over:
Slow Roasted Pork Belly with Chorizo Cassoulet
Pork Cannelloni with Chorizo Sauce and Bechamel
‘Kind of Cajun’ Chicken Thighs with Crispy Skin
Looks delicious!