Spaghetti Aglio e Olio & Italian Sausage

A large platter of spaghetti aglio e olio with Italain sausage arranged around the pasta.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio & Italian Sausage

If you’re looking for a quick and affordable meal to serve your family on busy weeknights, look no further than this spaghetti aglio e olio & Italian sausage.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword aglio e olio, easy dinner recipes, easy pasta dinners

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 818kcal

Ingredients

1 tablespoon Canola Oil or use your favorite vegetable oil
1-1½ pounds Mild Italian Sausage (4-6 links)
1 cup Water
5-6 Large Garlic Cloves minced
¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley chopped, plus extra for garnish
¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper or to taste
16 ounces package Spaghetti or favorite pasta, cooked to package directions
1 tablespoon Parmesan Cheese grated
Salt for the pasta water and to taste

Instructions

Start a large pot of water over high heat. Bring to a boil.
Heat the canola oil in a large, non-skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage to the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes, turning to brown on all sides.
Add 1 cup of water to the skillet, lower the heat to medium and cover. Cook the sausage for 15 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. Give the skillet a quick shake every once in a while to make sure the sausage is not sticking to the bottom. Make sure the internal temperature of the sausage is at least 165°F.
When the sausage is almost ready, drop the pasta in the boiling water and cook to package directions for al-dente. Remember to add a generous amount of salt to the water (1-2 tablespoons).
Reserve at least one cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta well. Add the pasta back to the pot.
Remove the sausage from the skillet, place them on a plate, and keep warm.
Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. When the olive oil is hot, but not too hot (and nowhere near smoking), add the garlic to the skillet.
Cook the garlic gently for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Add in the parsley and crushed red pepper, stir. Remove the skillet from the heat until the pasta is ready.
Combine the spaghetti and the garlic oil. Toss to coat well. Add a few tablespoons of the reserved pasta water, enough to make the noodles slippery and really easy to toss. Season the pasta aglio e olio with salt, to taste and toss again.
Garnish the spaghetti aglio e olio with an extra sprinkle of parsley, and serve with a side of Italian sausage.

Notes

Always cook garlic gently over moderate heat, and stirring frequently. Don’t leave the garlic unattended. Garlic burns very easily and if it does burn, it becomes bitter and pretty much inedible. If your garlic burns – it happens – toss it and start over.

Nutrition