Spicy Sausage Spaghetti Recipe

Are you looking for a spaghetti recipe with a little kick? Try this spicy sausage spaghetti! You will never go back spaghetti sauces from a jar again!

Today I am sharing a recipe for our spicy sausage spaghetti. When I say this spaghetti is restaurant worthy I am not kidding! This is the best spaghetti I have ever had! Even including ones I have tried at restaurants.

And it is not just me who thinks so…our kids absolutely LOVE it. Whenever they hear we are having spaghetti they cheer, well okay maybe not cheer, but they are happy about it! Our No. 2 son even liked “Mom’s” spaghetti better than the spaghetti at Disney’s Tutto Italia, the authentic Italian restaurant in Epcot. I was feeling pretty good that night! 😉

Just the right amount of spice

Even though it is labeled spicy, it is really not too spicy, and you can adjust the amount of spiciness to your liking. Before you get scared thinking that this is going to be a super complicated recipe, let me reassure you that it is really easy! Also, it involves ingredients that you can easily pronounce and find in normal aisles of the grocery store…lol. I think we have all seen THOSE recipes before! Here are most of the ingredients.

I can’t take all the credit for this recipe though, my mom was originally the one who made a spaghetti similar to this. I remembered having her spaghetti when I was a kid and loving it! Of course, I never took the time to learn to make it so when I got older and started cooking for our family, I used spaghetti sauces form a jar just like most everyone else.

Years later, after trying various types and brands of sauces and never finding one that was good enough, so I asked my mom for the spaghetti recipe she made when we were kids. She said she does not make it anymore and could not remember the whole recipe, but she knew that they made it from McCormick’s Thick and Zesty spaghetti sauce mix packages. They also included Italian sausage in the spaghetti.

Next time I was at the store I bought some of those packages and we tried it. Halleluja!! That was it! This was the sauce I remembered, so flavorful and zesty. 🙂 Now we use smoked sausage instead of Italian sausage and add some beef and other spices but I am so thankful that she remembered it. I am sure my kids thank her too! It has become a fan favorite around our house that is for sure!

Spicy Sausage Spaghetti

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Inactive Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 33 minutes

This is the best homemade spaghetti recipe! This spicy sausage spaghetti is so good that it is restaurant worthy!!

Print

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb spaghetti noodles (I use Barilla brand)
• 2 McCormick Thick & Zesty Sauce Mix packages
• 2 6 oz. cans tomato paste (I use Contadina brand - the one with Italian herbs)
• 1 package Hillshire Farm Beef Smoked Sausage
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• ½-1 lb ground beef (I use ½ lb because I don’t want it too meaty)
• ½ Tbsp Oregano Leaves
• ½ Tbsp Basil Leaves
• ½-1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (depending on how spicy you want it)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, cook the beef in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat until browned. Drain, remove from the pan and set to the side.
3. In smaller skillet, add ⅔ cup water and the smoked sausages. Heat over medium high for about 6-8 minutes flipping them once in the middle.
4. Following the directions on the back of the McCormick packages, add 3.5 cups water to the large skillet. Add the tomato pastes, oil and sauce packets. Stir until smooth and bring to a boil, after it starts to bubble turn heat down to low and cover or else you will have splatters of sauce all over your kitchen. Don’t say I didn’t warn you! 🙂
5. Add spices to sauce.
6. While sauce is simmering, cut sausages into ¼ inch slices, I usually only use 4 out of the 6 sausages but you can add them all if you want it more meaty. Add the sliced sausages to the sauce.
7. Add browned hamburger to the sauce and simmer until heated through.
8. Serve sauce over noodles, pair it with some garlic bread and a salad and enjoy!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 422Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 272mgCarbohydrates: 47gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 24g

I hope you like this spaghetti as much as we do.  I would love to hear from you if you try it!