This post may contain affiliate links. That means if you click and buy, I may receive a small commission (at zero cost to you). Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
Jump to Recipe
This Chorizo Pasta recipe is Italian comfort food at its fines and in case you need to save dinner, it only takes and hour to make. This recipe came from my husband’s side of the family but was never written down, just done by memory, so over the years he had made so many changes that when he made it for the visiting grandparents they didn’t know what it was! They actually prefer his version to the original now. Some particular ingredients that will make this dish go from good to amazing is to use San Marzano type canned tomatoes or Pomi Chopped Tomatoes Carton and chorizo that is in a casing (like the type Johnsonville makes) so that it does not fall apart in the pan or in your sauce. This Chorizo Pasta dish is all about technique and good ingredients, but it is still very easy to make and sure to impress.
Ingredients
- 1 package (19oz) Johnsonville chorizo
- 1 box Rigatoni Pasta
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 2 large green bell peppers sliced
- 2 cans (28oz) whole peeled tomatoes (San Marzano Tomatoes)
- 1 can (28ox) crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup white cooking wine or vermouth
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt and fresh crushed pepper
- Optional: 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Directions
Slice your links of Chorizo in to bite sized pieces and pan fry them in batches until browned. I like to use Johnsonville because they stay together better. We’ve used many different brands over the years to see if we could find an even better flavor or consistency but most either don’t hold up in the casings or the flavor is very over powering or the meat is extremely greasy causing the whole dish to take on a different taste, so do try to find the Johnsonville brand chorizo.
Next, in a separate pot add about 2 tbs of olive oil and heat on medium high. Add your sliced onions and green peppers and sauté. I swear by my Le Creuset dutch oven but any larger pot or dutch oven is just fine to use.
While the chorizo and vegetables are cooking, open your cans of peeled tomatoes and pour the contents into a medium sized bowl then crush them by hand in the bowl. Submerge your hand in the juice and turn your hand sideways when you crush them otherwise you’ll squirt juice all over the kitchen.
After browning the chorizo, drain off any excess grease and add them to the sauce.
Add cooking wine, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper (and optionally add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes). Continue to simmer on medium to low heat with a screen or lid half on to contain any splattering. Ideally you will want the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, but it can also be served as soon as the noodles are done if you are in a rush. While the sauce is simmering, cook your pasta to al-dente according to the box’s instructions. When the noodles are finished, taste the sauce and correct seasoning.
Finish your chorizo pasta by pouring your cooked and drained pasta into the sauce and stir until completely coated and serve with your favorite side salad and fresh bread.
Note: You can if you’d like, feel free to dress the pasta separately while serving instead of adding the noodles to the sauce all at once. This makes it easy to save or freeze any remaining sauce for future use.
Chorizo Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 19oz package Johnsonville Chorizo
- 1 box Rigatoni Pasta
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 2 28oz cans whole peeled tomatoes San Mazano are the best
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ cup white cooking wine
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes Optional
Instructions
- Slice your links of Chorizo in to bite sized pieces and pan fry them in batches until browned. I like to use Johnsonville because they stay together better. We’ve used many different brands over the years to see if we could find an even better flavor or consistency but most either don’t hold up in the casings or the flavor is very over powering or the meat is extremely greasy causing the whole dish to take on a different taste, so do try to find the Johnsonville brand chorizo.
- Next, in a separate pot add about 2 tbs of olive oil and heat on medium high. Add your sliced onions and green peppers and sauté. I swear by my Le Creuset dutch oven but any larger pot or dutch oven is just fine to use.
- While the chorizo and vegetables are cooking, open your cans of peeled tomatoes and pour the contents into a medium sized bowl. You're now going to crush the tomatoes by hand and if you've never done this before, be sure you crush them with your hand well submerged, otherwise you'll squirt tomato juice all over the kitchen.
- When the chorizo is done, drain off any excess grease from the meat and add them to the dutch oven with the onion and peppers.
- Add cooking wine, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper (and optionally add 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes). Continue to simmer on medium to low heat with a screen or lid half on to contain any splattering. Ideally you will want the sauce to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour, but it can also be served as soon as the noodles are done if you are in a rush. While the sauce is simmering, cook your pasta to al-dente according to the box's instructions. When the noodles are finished, taste the sauce and correct seasoning.
- Finish your dish with pouring your cooked and drained pasta into the sauce and stir until completely coated and serve with your favorite side salad and fresh bread.
- Note: You can, if you'd like, feel free to dress the pasta separately while serving instead of adding the noodles to the sauce all at once. This makes it easy to save or freeze any remaining sauce for future use.
1 Comment
Travis
February 25, 2020 at 11:53 pmA great dish and fun to make, so many things going on. I like to make extra meat only because I tend to hunt out all those yummy chorizo chunks when it gets passed to me