Description
Hearty sticky honey garlic sausage pasta skillet delights dinner tables with robust Italian-inspired flavors. Zesty sausage and sweet honey combine for a quick, satisfying meal packed with comforting ingredients you’ll crave again and again.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb Italian (smoked, or chicken sausage, sliced into ½-inch rounds)
- 8 oz penne or rotini pasta (or pasta of choice)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (low-sodium optional)
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional, adjust to taste)
- Salt (to taste)
- Black pepper (to taste)
- Fresh parsley (finely chopped for garnish)
Instructions
- Boil pasta in a generously salted water at high temperature for 8-10 minutes until perfectly tender. Drain without rinsing to preserve starchy texture for sauce adherence.
- Warm olive oil in a spacious skillet over medium heat. Sizzle sausage slices for 5-7 minutes, rotating periodically until golden and crisp-edged.
- Reduce skillet temperature to medium-low. Introduce minced garlic and sauté briefly until aromatic.
- Whisk honey, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, and red pepper flakes in a separate container. Pour mixture into skillet with sausage and garlic.
- Simmer sauce for 2-3 minutes, stirring consistently until slightly thickened and clinging to sausage pieces.
- Incorporate cooked pasta into skillet, gently folding with tongs to distribute sauce evenly. Heat for additional 2-3 minutes to marry flavors.
- Season with salt and black pepper according to preference. Ensure uniform coating of pasta and sausage.
- Remove from heat. Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley across surface. Serve immediately while piping hot and sauce is glossy.
Notes
- Swap sausage with plant-based alternatives like tempeh or seitan for a vegetarian version that maintains similar texture and flavor profile.
- Reduce honey quantity or substitute with maple syrup for lower glycemic index and diabetic-friendly adaptation.
- Reserve pasta cooking water as backup liquid to adjust sauce consistency if too thick or dry during final mixing stage.
- Control spice levels by adjusting red pepper flakes quantity based on personal heat tolerance or family preferences.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 525 kcal
- Sugar: 10 g
- Sodium: 640 mg
- Fat: 26 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 17 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 23 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg