This spicy sausage meatball pasta is the ultimate comforting pasta dish - juicy spicy sausage meatballs simmered in a rich tomato sauce and tossed with your favourite pasta. It's quick enough for weeknights yet flavourful enough for a cosy weekend dinner. Each bite has a perfect balance of heat, sweetness, and richness, making it a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
There's a few recipes already on Felly Bull with the combination of chilli flakes and fennel seeds - it's definitely one of our favourites. We also happen to love pork sausages and pasta, so I'm very glad this recipe turned out so well!!
The sausage meatballs have the chilli flakes and fennel seeds in them, which gives the lovely spice to the dish. Dial the chilli up or down, depending on your heat preference. Combine this with a full of flavour rich tomato sauce and pasta of your choice, you're definitely onto a winner.
The meatballs and sauce are freezable meaning this is a perfect recipe for batch cooking too.
We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Tips
- Optional flavour variations:
- add some chopped sun-dried tomatoes for sweetness.
- wilt some baby spinach in at the end for extra nutrition and colour.
- for extra heat, add some chopped fresh chilli to the sauce.
- add some veggies like courgettes, red peppers or mushrooms.
- Make ahead - the sausages and sauce (steps 1 to 5) can easily be made either the day before or earlier in the day. When you're ready to eat, gently reheat on the hob while you cook the pasta.
- This spicy sausage meatball pasta recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes - reduce or omit the chilli flakes. You can also add cream or mascarpone to soften the heat.
Yes - Italian sausages, pork, beef, turkey, chicken or plant-based sausages all work.
Yes - the meatballs and sauce freeze well. Freeze for up to 3 months and cook fresh pasta when serving.
Yes - but add extra seasoning to the sauce for depth.
Rigatoni, penne, fusilli, or tagliatelle hold sauce very well.
Add 100ml double cream, 2 tbsp mascarpone or cream cheese.
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How to make this Spicy Sausage Meatball Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 pork sausages
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (approx. 125g), finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
- 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 300g pasta of your choice, eg spaghetti, tagliatelle, penne, rigatoni or fusilli
- parmesan cheese, grated, to garnish
- freshly ground black pepper, to garnish
- 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Start by preparing the sausages - remove and discard the skins, then roughly chop up the sausage meat in a bowl.
- Grind the fennel seeds and chilli flakes together in a pestle and mortar until the fennel seeds are lightly crushed. Add this to the bowl with the sausage meat and mix well to combine. Shape the seasoned sausage meat into 24 small meatballs.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and brown the meatballs all over for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the browned meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- In the same frying pan, add the remaining 0.5 tbsp of olive oil and add the onions. Gently fry the onions over a medium heat for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and oregano, stir to combine, then add the meatballs back in. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions and serve with the meatballs and sauce. Garnish with grated parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley.
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Spicy Sausage Meatball Pasta
Ingredients
- 6 pork sausages
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion (approx. 125g) finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic finely sliced
- 2 x 400 g (28 oz) tins chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 300 g (10.6 oz) pasta of your choice eg spaghetti, tagliatelle, penne, rigatoni or fusilli
- parmesan cheese grated, to garnish
- freshly ground black pepper to garnish
- 1 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley roughly chopped, to garnish
Instructions
- Start by preparing the sausages - remove and discard the skins, then roughly chop up the sausage meat in a bowl.
- Grind the fennel seeds and chilli flakes together in a pestle and mortar until the fennel seeds are lightly crushed. Add this to the bowl with the sausage meat and mix well to combine. Shape the seasoned sausage meat into 24 small meatballs.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and brown the meatballs all over for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the browned meatballs with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate.
- In the same frying pan, add the remaining 0.5 tbsp of olive oil and add the onions. Gently fry the onions over a medium heat for 4 minutes, then add the garlic and fry for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar and oregano, stir to combine, then add the meatballs back in. Simmer gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta as per the packet instructions and serve with the meatballs and sauce. Garnish with grated parmesan, freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Optional flavour variations:
- add some chopped sun-dried tomatoes for sweetness.
- wilt some baby spinach in at the end for extra nutrition and colour.
- for extra heat, add some chopped fresh chilli to the sauce.
- add some veggies like courgettes, red peppers or mushrooms.
- Make ahead - the sausages and sauce (steps 1 to 5) can easily be made either the day before or earlier in the day. When you're ready to eat, gently reheat on the hob while you cook the pasta.
- This spicy sausage meatball pasta recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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