My Italian Sausage and Rotini is a quick and simple weeknight dinner. It’s simply pasta with an Italian sausage, tomato, and black olive sauce.
We all need quick and easy recipes for weeknights, don’t we? Even if you don’t work an 8-to-5 office job, you’re still probably busy every day right up until dinner time.
And even though I love to cook, there are days when I just don’t want to have to think very hard about getting supper on the table. I know you can relate.
When one of those really busy days rolls around, one of the easiest things to do is to put on a pot of water, boil some pasta, and add a sauce. Something quick to cook but delicious and satisfying. Like this Italian Sausage and Rotini.
This sauce is simply browned Italian sausage with tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil, and a few seasonings. It’s really nothing fancy, but very pleasing to sit down to after a busy day.
How to Make Italian Sausage and Rotini
Cook the pasta as directed on the package. While the pasta is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
👉 PRO TIP: You can use any short cut pasta you like for this. Penne works well as does rigatoni. Even elbow macaroni if that’s what you have on hand!
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil.
Remove the casings from the sausage and tear it into about 1-inch chunks. Add it to the skillet.
Cook and stir while breaking up the sausage until almost no pink color remains. A potato masher does a great job of breaking up the sausage while it’s cooking.
Add the garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the garlic has softened.
You know, you don’t have to slice the garlic, right? Mince it or crush it…whatever. I just sliced it this time. No real reason.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, black olives, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes are nicely softened.
Drain the pasta and add to the meat sauce. Stir well to combine.
Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired.
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Recipe
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Italian Sausage and Rotini
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta or other short cut pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ pound Italian sausage
- 4 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 15 ounces canned diced tomatoes with juice
- ½ cup halved ripe black olives
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as directed on the package. While the pasta is cooking, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil.
- Remove the casings from the sausage and tear it into about 1-inch chunks. Add to the skillet. Cook and stir breaking up the sausage until almost no pink color remains.
- Add the garlic and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until the garlic has softened.
- Add the tomatoes with their juice, black olives, basil, red pepper, salt, and pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes are nicely softened.
- Drain the pasta and add to the meat sauce. Stir well to combine.
- Serve with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
I’m Lana Stuart, an award-winning cookbook author, food blogger, and lifelong cook raised deep in Southwest Georgia. I started Lana’s Cooking in 2009 to share the tried-and-true recipes I grew up with. Around here, the food is full of flavor, the traditions run deep, and there’s always room at the table.
This has to be by far, the finest and tastiest Rotini dish I have cooked in years. I follow the recipe to the tee and my entire family are famished as they smell this dish cooking in our home. Not one iota of this dish survives through to the next day …. read: leftovers…. fine, fine dish.
I’m so glad that you and your family enjoy it, Jan! Nothing makes me happier than hearing that someone has enjoyed one of my recipes :-)
What a delicious-looking dish!! :) Perfect for after a long day of work!
Looks like one of those “wonderful for a Friday night, when it’s been a LONG, LONG week” dinners.
Miss P
Thanks! I’ll make it tonight, in fact. Pasta with sauce is one of my two “go-to” ideas for a busy night. Eggs and toast is the other.
Hope you enjoy it!