24 Sweet and Spicy Italian Sausage Recipes for Any Night of the Week From hearty pastas to savory appetizers, these Italian sausage recipes are packed with bold flavor. By Alexis McCowan Alexis McCowan Alexis McCowan graduated from Howard University in 2021 and has since interned at Sage Publishing and the Pulitzer Center and contributed to Food & Wine. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann Jodie Kautzmann is an editor, baker, and confectioner with more than 15 years of experience in content creation, recipe development, and pastry production. She's obsessed with the fine details and ingredients that take dishes from tasty to outright otherworldly. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on August 24, 2026 Add Us On SAVE ALL RECIPES NEW! Save as a collection on MyRecipes Close Credit: Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox Italian sausage is a weeknight hero, whether you prefer it mild or spicy, crumbled or left in juicy links. Easy to keep on hand and quick to cook, it pairs beautifully with everything from briny olives and hearty kale to pasta, beans, and flaky pastry. This collection is packed with flavorful ideas, including cabbage-and-sausage pasta, stuffed eggplant, squash crostata, and more, proving just how versatile Italian sausage can be. Love these recipes? Join MyRecipes — your personal home for recipes — to easily save and organize your favorites, plus thousands more, in one convenient place. 01 of 24 Sausage Tortellini Soup Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Ward / Prop Styling by Christina Daley / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall This creamy, hearty soup starts with store-bought cheese tortellini and is loaded with Italian sausage and baby spinach. Tossing a rind of Parmesan cheese into the broth brings extra umami, while a splash of sherry vinegar brightens the pot. Get the Recipe Save 02 of 24 Braised Sausage and Fennel with Toasted Spices Greg DuPree This simple, aromatic braise — infused with whole pink peppercorns and fennel seeds — serves up fresh, spicy sausage over creamy hummus with wedges of sweet fennel. Get the Recipe Save 03 of 24 Baked Ziti with Shortcut Vodka Sauce Alex Lau / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox F&W recipe developer Liz Mervosh makes an easy vodka sauce with jarred marinara for this baked ziti with three types of cheese and spicy Italian sausage. Get the Recipe Save 04 of 24 Buttery Cabbage-and-Sausage Pasta Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Shell Royster Caramelized cabbage bulks up this easy pasta dish — it’s cooked in sausage drippings to soak up the meaty juices. Fennel seeds, crushed red pepper, and plenty of garlic amplify the sausage flavor; finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, a squeeze of lemon, and fresh dill fronds. Get the Recipe Save 05 of 24 White Beans with Sausage and Arrabiata Sauce Jennifer Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Jillian Knox Creamy, thin-skinned Marcella beans, an heirloom cannellini variety named for the late, beloved Italian cooking expert Marcella Hazan, are served with spicy Italian sausage in a fiery tomato sauce, topped with shaved Parmesan and a simple arugula salad for an extra-satisfying bowl. Get the Recipe Save 06 of 24 Grilled Italian Sausage with Apple Mustard and Giardiniera Greg DuPree / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Chef Tyler Florence grills hot or sweet pork sausages, topping them with a homemade grilled apple-onion mustard and tangy, chunky giardiniera. The result is sweet, savory, juicy, crunchy, and sure to be a hit at your table. Get the Recipe Save 07 of 24 Sausage and Ricotta Pizza with Castelvetrano Olives Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Torie Cox / Prop Styling by Audrey Davis Dollops of rich ricotta balance out the briny Castelvetrano olives, Italian sausage crumbles, and roasted bell peppers on this picture-perfect Mediterranean pie. Get the Recipe Save 08 of 24 Baked Stuffed Eggplant with Italian Sausage Greg Dupree Here’s a summer main you’ll want to add to your repertoire — stuff eggplant with ripe tomatoes, briny feta, and Italian sausage, then top with bright, lemony breadcrumbs and bake until golden and bubbly. Get the Recipe Save 09 of 24 Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser In this classic orecchiette preparation, sweet Italian sausage balances the bitterness of broccoli rabe. Parmesan, red pepper flakes, and lots of garlic bring even more punchy flavor — throw in a couple of anchovies for some added umami. Get the Recipe Save 10 of 24 Sautéed Italian Sausage with Onions and Peppers Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen Brown sweet Italian sausage links low and slow so the fat renders, then simmer bell peppers and red onion in the drippings with tomato paste, broth, and a splash of vinegar. A brief stint in the oven ensures everything’s perfectly tender and cooked through. Serve with plenty of crusty bread. Get the Recipe Save 11 of 24 Sausage and Mushroom Soup Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell Garlicky, golden mushrooms and thin slices of mild Italian sausage bring big flavor to store-bought chicken broth; they sit in a tangle of angel hair pasta for a soup that’s both twirlable and slurpable. Get the Recipe Save 12 of 24 Après-Ski Lasagna Victor Protasio This cozy lasagna, which gets brightness from fresh basil, earthiness from mushrooms, and savory heft from mild Italian sausage, is designed to feed a crowd — it yields eight to 10 servings. Get the Recipe Save 13 of 24 Spicy 50/50 Burgers Food & Wine / Photo by Carson Downing / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell Chef Michael Symon ingeniously combines equal parts hot Italian sausage and ground chuck for well-seasoned patties without the risk of tough, overworked meat. The sausage gives this juicy cheeseburger, adapted from Symon’s 5 in 5 cookbook, a great texture as well. Get the Recipe Save 14 of 24 Rigatoni with Spicy Sausage and Cannellini Beans Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Lauren McAnelly / Prop Styling by Breanna Ghazali Made with canned white beans and tomatoes plus quick-cooking Italian sausage, Barbara Lynch’s robust pasta dish is ready to satisfy in just over an hour. Get the Recipe Save 15 of 24 Lasagna Soup Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Julian Hensarling / Prop Styling by Christina Daley Pack the comforting flavors of classic lasagna into a bowl of soup in 25 minutes using jarred marinara, broken lasagna sheets, mild Italian sausage, and a touch of harissa, plus a luscious blend of mozzarella, ricotta, and Parmesan. Get the Recipe Save 16 of 24 Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard Diana Chistruga British food writer Nigel Slater contributed this spicy, creamy, mustardy pasta dish, which was named one of Food & Wine’s 40 best recipes ever in 2018. Fragrant basil and crisp white wine bring these flavors together: a tangy, meaty, rich, herby dish that’s table-ready in just 20 minutes. Get the Recipe Save 17 of 24 Cheesy Sausage Cocktail Toasts Jennifer Causey For these toasts, cookbook author Andrea Slonecker borrows from the nostalgic flavors of her childhood and swaps creamy mascarpone and robust Taleggio for the Velveeta in her grandmother’s original version. “The topping can be made a few days ahead, and it’s as straightforward as browning some Italian sausage and melting in the cheeses,” she writes. Get the Recipe Save 18 of 24 Ragù di Salsiccia (Sausage Ragù) with Tajarin Photo by Christopher Testani / Food Styling by Melissa Gray / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen This pasta dish from Piedmont chef Daniel Zeilinga features both Italian sausage and ground veal, which are cooked with hardy herbs — thyme, sage, rosemary, bay — in a savory tomato sauce. What makes the recipe special is the handmade tajarin, a local style of tagliolini that’s heavy on the egg yolks. Get the Recipe Save 19 of 24 Sausage, Butternut Squash, and Blue Cheese Pasta Food & Wine / Photo by Morgan Hunt Glaze / Food Styling by Jennifer Wendorf / Prop Styling by Lydia Pursell Fontina and Parmesan melt into a creamy Mornay sauce that bubbles under a topping of Gorgonzola crumbles, forming a golden crust atop layers of sweet squash, spicy sausage, and rigatoni. Get the Recipe Save 20 of 24 Slow-Cooker Sausage and Vegetable Risotto Food & Wine / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Josh Hoggle Instead of adding liquid to rice incrementally and stirring, stirring, stirring, you’ll only need to brown the sausage in a skillet on the stovetop, sauté the onion, and give the rice a preliminary round of liquid absorption by cooking it with the wine — before handing it all off to your slow cooker. Get the Recipe Save 21 of 24 Sausage-Stuffed Fried Olives Victor Protasio Buttery Castelvetrano olives and Italian sausage pair beautifully in these petite fried snacks. They’re elegant little bites begging to accompany chilled cocktails and crisp white wine. Get the Recipe Save 22 of 24 Sausage, Kale, and Potato Skillet Supper Jen Causey This hearty one-pan dinner combines smoky sausage, earthy kale, and creamy potatoes for a satisfying meal with minimal cleanup. “The brilliant thing about this recipe is that you can cook it all in one skillet,” says chef and writer Klancy Miller. “The key is adding each ingredient at the right time so that everything cooks without burning.” Get the Recipe Save 23 of 24 Roast Chicken with Sausage and Peppers © John Kernick Sweet peppers and sausage roast with the chicken, turning into a built-in side with bold, smoky juices in this Italian American–inspired recipe from F&W’s Justin Chapple. Get the Recipe Save 24 of 24 Delicata Squash and Sausage Crostata with Ricotta and Honey Justin Walker This seasonal crostata layers fennel-spiced sausage, fresh oregano, delicata squash, and honey for an unforgettable fall appetizer or main. Buckwheat flour adds a nutty depth to the crispy, ricotta-smeared crust. Get the Recipe Save Explore more: Recipes Dinner Meat Dishes Sausage Dishes Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit