Pasta is one of my ultimate comfort foods. I was so excited to see Sara’s makeover of my Spaghetti and Meatballs last week and I have another amazing, easy, family-friendly pasta recipe today: because I swear, in two weeks, summer will be here and pasta season will be gone for the year.
I’ve been tweaking this Veggie-Loaded Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce for a few months now. I didn’t really set out to make a recipe, I just started in one place and ended here. It’s become a favorite with my family and friends–I’ve gotten multiple requests for the recipe (which forced me to write it down) and have people tell me it’s like something they’d get in a restaurant, and not The Olive Garden (I think that was a compliment?). So if you’re looking for a quick, flavorful pasta sauce, packed with veggies (but doesn’t really taste like it), you’ve come to the right place.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Yellow or white onion
- Carrots
- Fresh garlic
- Mushrooms
- Fresh parsley
- Italian sausage – I use sweet (mild) Italian sausage, but you could use hot if you like things spicy.
- Dry red wine – You can sub red wine vinegar with some pasta water if you’d like.
- Canned crushed tomatoes
- Beef or chicken soup base – Like Better Than Bouillon.
- Baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated is best!
- Spaghetti or linguine
How to Make Veggie-Loaded Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce
- You’ll start by sautéing some onions, carrots, and garlic over medium heat. When softened, add some mushrooms and parsley and cook until tender.
- Next you’ll add the sausage and cook until browned.
- Add the red wine and cook until about half the liquid is evaporated, then add the tomatoes and chicken or beef base. Allow the sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the desired thickness is reached.
- Cook up some pasta and set aside a little of the pasta water before draining. Lightly drizzle the drained pasta with with a little olive oil and pink of kosher salt.
- Use the pasta water as necessary to adjust the consistency of the sauce to your liking, then dish up your pasta, top with sauce, and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
- Freeze individual sauce portions for up to 2 months for easy meals. For best results, freeze sauce alone and cook pasta fresh.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. Pasta sauce reheats well so feel free to make it one day and reheat as needed. You can also freeze it for up to 2 months.
Definitely. Celery and peppers would be delicious!
Nope! Mix a little red wine vinegar with some pasta water to replace the wine if desired.
Veggie-Loaded Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 yellow or white onion peeled and chopped
- 4 carrots peeled and diced
- 4-5 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces mushrooms chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- ½ cup dry red wine OR 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar + ½ cup water from the cooked pasta
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 heaping teaspoon beef or chicken soup base
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- Parmesan cheese
- 16 ounces spaghetti or linguine
Instructions
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onions, carrots, and garlic and cook until softened (about 5 minutes). Add the mushrooms and parsley and cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sausage to the pan, breaking it up into small pieces, and cook until browned.
- Add the wine to the pan and scrape off any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until about half of the wine has evaporated (if using red wine vinegar, add the vinegar with the tomatoes and then add the starchy pasta water as needed near the end). Add the tomatoes and chicken or beef base. Bring to a simmer and then lower heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness is reached.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions. When the pasta is done cooking, reserve ½-1 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Lightly drizzle the pasta with olive oil and sprinkle with a little kosher salt.
- When the sauce has reached the desired consistency, add the spinach. If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta water (if you don’t need it, throw it away). Divide the pasta between plates and top with the sauce and Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Nutrition information was calculated for 1/8th recipe of sauce with 2 ounces (uncooked) pasta.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge and enjoy within 3-5 days for best results.
Questions & Reviews
I thought this sauce was great! We usually just do ground beef in things like this but the Italian sausage is much more interesting. I added celery and red and yellow peppers and it was delicious!
What other veggies can I use.. frozen??
frozen bell peppers would be good in there!
I’m making this today and I can’t wait to try it! How many servings do you think it makes? We’re also feeding the missionaries tonight ?
It will easily serve 6-8 (at least…depending on how generous you are with the sauce.)
This looks great! Totally going to put it on my next week’s menu. Where did you get the napkin/tea towel from? It would look perfect in my kitchen.
I think I got it from World Market, but I’m not 100% sure! 🙂
Wait—pasta season is over when summer comes??? Nobody ever told me this. I’m devastated! 🙂
No, hahaha—but once summer hits, I tend to steer more towards lighter sauces and flavors. But you can definitely make this year round. 🙂
Do you add the parsley when you add the mushrooms or when you add the spinach? I just couldn’t find where you mentioned to add the parsley. Thanks
You can add it with the mushrooms or near the end, it doesn’t really matter (but I *do* need to fix it in the recipe! ?)