Pasta With Spicy Sausages, Tomatoes, Rosemary and Olives
Updated September 8, 2025
Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 large sprig fresh rosemary
1 fat garlic clove, finely chopped
1 ½ pounds ripe plum tomatoes, trimmed and diced
¼ cup green pitted olives, slivered
Salt to taste
½ pound pasta, like penne
Finely chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 to 3 servings)
69 grams carbs; 52 milligrams cholesterol; 639 calories; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 30 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 942 milligrams sodium; 23 grams protein; 9 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Warm the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and rosemary; cook, breaking up the meat with a fork, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, cook 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and stir occasionally until they have broken down and turned into a sauce, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the olives for the last 5 minutes of cooking. Add salt to taste, cover and keep warm.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain well and toss with the sauce. Finish with parsley, if you like.
Private Notes
Comments
Delicious, quick and easy! I used a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, doubled the amount of sausage (using 1/2 lb. each mild and spicy) and my sprig of rosemary yielded 1 Tbsp., which was just right with the other spices from the sausage. The olives provided enough salt, so no more was added--and if you use grated parmesan to garnish, that adds even more.
Added a little tomato paste to the pan with the garlic to intensify the flavors. Easy and very good.
I was looking for a quick & tasty pasta for dinner, and this was it! Very tasty, and easy to prep and cook. Following other suggestions, I added onion and red pepper and mushrooms and red pepper flakes. Used kumato tomatoes from Trader Joe's, but in a month or so ours will be ripe. Meanwhile, I'm keeping this in my rotation.
This was the perfect amount for 2 older folks. For us, good flavor, not heavy & could have been enough for leftovers, but, we inhaled this recipe. Thank you Melissa Clark. So simple, & yummy. I used 2 sweet sausage, & 28oz can of Cento peeled toms. I scooped them out, & used surgical scissors to chop them up. Put the leftover tom juice in a zippy, & in the freezer for another use. Other than that, followed what Melissa does best. It’s in the rotation, & an easy recipe to make on vacation.
good baseline recipe, although I agree with many others, using canned tomatoes was way more efficient and no real change in taste. I prefer it with more sausage and olives, reducing salt along with that. great with a little fresh side salad
Subbed out the olives because I just couldn’t bring myself to do that, but added a bit of cream and Parmesan toward the end. Very good!