Cook Well for Less

Sausage & Tomato Pasta

Turn four sausages from a larger pack into a quick, rich tomato pasta that feels distinct from the casserole.

Prep
10 mins
Cook
30 mins
Total
40 mins
Difficulty
easy
Serves
2
Illustration: Short pasta in rich sausage, tomato and vegetable sauce
Cook Well for Less · AI-generated pencil and watercolour illustration

Get ready

Ingredients for 2 portions

  • 4 pork sausagesskins removed
  • 160g dried pasta
  • 1 medium onionfinely chopped
  • 1 medium carrotgrated or diced very small
  • 1 garlic clovecrushed
  • 1 × 400 g tin chopped tomatoes

Optional extras

  • 1 tsp vegetable oil, only if needed
  • 30 g mature Cheddargrated
Equipment
  • large frying pan
  • saucepan
  • chopping board
  • knife
  • wooden spoon
  • colander

Cook

Method

  1. Start the sausage sauce

    Put a large frying pan over a medium heat. Squeeze the sausage meat out of the skins into the pan and discard the skins. Cook for 6–8 minutes, breaking the meat into small pieces, until browned. Add the teaspoon of oil only if the pan looks dry.

  2. Soften the vegetables

    Add the onion and carrot and cook gently for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften.

  3. Add the flavourings

    Stir in the garlic, tomato purée and mixed herbs and cook for about 1 minute.

  4. Simmer the sauce

    Add the chopped tomatoes and stir well. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened and the sausage meat is cooked through with no pink pieces remaining. Add a splash of water if the sauce becomes too thick.

  5. Cook the pasta

    While the sauce simmers, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Before draining, keep a small mugful of the pasta cooking water.

  6. Finish

    Stir the drained pasta into the sauce. Add a little pasta water if needed, then taste and add black pepper. Divide between two bowls and add the Cheddar if using.

Start with another recipe

Where the saved food comes from

This recipe starts with food deliberately saved from another Cook Well for Less recipe. The ingredient list shows the amount this recipe expects.

  1. Illustration: Sausage and cannellini bean tomato casserole beside mashed potato

    Make and save first

    Sausage & Bean Casserole

    This two-portion casserole uses 4 sausages. If your pack contains 8, keep the other 4 for Sausage & Tomato Pasta.

    Remove the skins from the remaining sausages and cook the meat into a quick tomato sauce for pasta.

    Start with Sausage & Bean Casserole

Use what you've got

Easy swaps

  • Garlic cloveUse 1 tsp garlic purée instead.
  • Dried mixed herbsDried thyme can be used instead.

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