Spicy Sausage and Red Pepper Linguine

Spicy Sausage and Red Pepper Linguine

This one is a proper weeknight hero for us. Spicy, smoky sausage meat crumbled into silky linguine with sweet roasted red peppers; it hits every note you want from a pasta dish. We keep coming back to it because it feels indulgent but comes together in just 30 minutes, which honestly still surprises us every time. The combination of smoked paprika, cayenne and fresh rosemary-infused oil is just something else. Make it tonight and you will not be disappointed.

Cook: 30 min
Serves 4

Before You Start

  • Food processor
  • Large saucepan
  • Large mixing bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 sprig of rosemary
  • 1 clove garlic clove
  • 300g linguine
  • 8 plant-based sausages - at room temperature
  • 1 x 180g jar of sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tbsp Nooch
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp rose harissa paste
  • 250g roasted red peppers
  • 1 x 400g can of chopped tomatoes
  • pepper to taste

Method

1

For the pasta

  • Start by slicing open the sausages and removing the "skin"
  • Spoon the sausage meat into a bowl and crush using a fork
  • Season with salt and pepper and stir in the smoked paprika, cayenne pepper and oregano
  • Place a large saucepan over a medium heat and add a generous drizzle of olive oil
  • Pop in your sprig of rosemary and finely chopped garlic and allow to infuse in the oil for a couple of minutes
  • Tip in the sausage meat and roughly chopped sun dried tomatoes and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until it begins to brown
2

For the sauce

  • In a food processor blend together roasted red peppers, balsamic vinegar, nooch, sugar, tomato puree, harissa and chopped tomatoes until smooth
  • Pour the sauce into the sausage meat and cook for 10 - 15 minutes until all the ingredients are well combined and the sauce begins to thicken
3

For the pasta

  • Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the linguine as per the instructions on the packet
4

To serve

  • Strain the pasta reserving some of the water it was cooked in and add it all to the tomato sauce
  • Stir everything together and top with nooch, cracked black pepper and basil leaves

Tips & Variations

  • Get a good sear on the sausage meat: Don't stir it too much once it's in the pan. Let it sit and get a little colour on the bottom before breaking it up; that caramelisation is where a lot of the flavour comes from.
  • Adjust the heat to your taste: We like it properly spicy but if you're cooking for people who are a bit more cautious, just dial back the cayenne. You can always serve dried chilli flakes on the side so everyone can go at their own pace.
  • Save your pasta water: This is a non-negotiable for us. A good splash of starchy pasta water stirred through at the end helps the sauce cling to the linguine and gives it that glossy, restaurant-style finish.

Why This Works

The trick is taking the sausage meat out of the skin and really crushing it down so it fries up into little crispy, spiced nuggets rather than big chunks. That gives you loads of surface area to pick up flavour and it coats every strand of pasta properly. Getting the garlic and rosemary to infuse slowly in the oil before anything else goes in is the other big one. It builds a base that makes the whole sauce taste like it's been cooking for hours.