If you are looking for a little spicy kick in your pasta tonight I have the perfect dish for you. It will light the fire, start the party and keep you talk about how delicious it was well after dinner. This Spicy Sausage and Olive Pasta with Feta Cheese has it all. It’s nice jalapeno heat is complemented by the chunks of hearty sausage, smooth black olives and sharp feta cheese. It’s one of my favorite ways to dress up the classic red spaghetti sauce and meatballs without adding prep time.
This dish is easy to make and still provides wonderful complex flavors. My soon-to-be brother-in-law passed this dish idea to me this last summer. After he shared how he likes to make a dish like this, I had to come home and try it. It really sounded too good to be true. Easy, delicious, full of flavor and ready to eat in less than 30. Okay, you get the point. Let me show you what you’ll need. The full printable recipe is below. Here are the ingredients you’ll start with:
Recipe Overview
*Find the full ingredients and instructions below in the recipe card*
First, set a large pot of water to boil. This is for the pasta in which you’ll cook al dente according to the package. While the pasta is cooking, open and drain the brine off the olives. Save the brine (you’ll use it when cooking the sausage). If you’d prefer smaller bits of olive you may slice whole olives or buy pre-sliced. For ease and speed I like to use whole olives.
Next, slice the sausage. Place sausage and 1/3 of a cup of olive brine in a pan. Simmer until sausage is fully cooked. Add spaghetti sauce and El Pato sauce along with a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the pasta water. This combo will have a nice kick but if you’re looking for very spicy you can add a sliced fresh jalapeno.
Simmer until pasta is ready then drain and add pasta into sauce. Simmer 5 minutes and it’s done. Salt and pepper to taste. Plate and top with feta cheese crumbles and extra slices of jalapeno if desired.
Spicy Sausage and Olive Pasta with Feta Cheese
This Spicy Sausage and Olive Pasta with Feta Cheese has it all. It's nice jalapeno heat is complemented by the chunks of hearty sausage, smooth black olives and sharp feta cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta of your choice, cooked according to directions
- 1/2 cup pasta water, reserved from cooking the pasta
- 1 lb sausage or sausage links
- 2 cup cans black olives, 1/3 brine reserved
- 1 can/jar spaghetti sauce
- 1 can El Pato Sauce, tomato jalapeno based
- feta cheese
- Salt and pepper
- Parsley or cilantro for garnish, if desired
- Jalapeno, if desired
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil for pasta. Start cooking pasta to al dente according to the package.
- Open and drain the brine off the olives. Save the brine (you'll use it when cooking the sausage).
- Slice sausage. Place sausage and 1/3 of a cup of olive brine in a pan. Simmer until sausage is fully cooked.
- Add spaghetti sauce and El Pato sauce along with a 1/4 to 1/2 a cup of the pasta water to sausage. Simmer.
- Once pasta is ready drain and add pasta into sauce. Simmer 5 minutes.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Plate and top with feta cheese crumbles and extra slices of jalapeno if desired.
Notes
If you'd prefer smaller bits of olive you may slice whole olives or buy pre-sliced. For ease and speed I like to use whole olives.
If you like a little heat this spicy pasta dish with classic flavors will blow your mind. It’s that delicious!
What kind of sauce do you like on your pasta?
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