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We’ve long been a fan of Jamie’s comfort cooking, from his beef bourguignon to chicken and leek pot pie. So, it was no surprise that this luxurious Italian sausage recipe had our testers licking their plates. The combination of tender pasta, bites of sausage, and a wine-infused tomato sauce paired with a quick 30-minute preparation time has made this one an instant favorite.–Angie Zoobkoff

david caricature

Why Our Testers Loved This

There’s a whole bunch of reasons our recipe testers gobbled this up. They loved that it came together so quickly, making it perfect weeknight fare. They were also thrilled that the recipe had a short ingredient list and came together in just one pan, meaning fewer dirty dishes.

Ruby Francis. joined in with her comment, “This pappardelle recipe is very straightforward, and it feels like a warm hug on a cold night.

What You’ll Need to Make This

Ingredients for sausage pappardelle--parsley, fresh pasta, Parmesan, fennel, sausage, wine, and passata.
  • Pasta–Lasagne sheets are readily available in the refrigerated section of many supermarkets, but if you can get fresh pappardelle, feel free to substitute it. You can also make your own pasta dough for this recipe.
  • Sausage–Any type of sausage will work here, so use one that you like. Our testers found that hot Italian sausage paired well with the flavor of the sauce.
  • Fennel seed–If the sausage you use has fennel in it, consider reducing the amount of fennel to 1/2 teaspoon.
  • Passata–This is also known as strained tomatoes and can be found in well-stocked supermarkets. If you prefer more texture in your sauce or can’t locate passata, you can substitute crushed tomatoes.

How to Make This Recipe

Fresh lasagne sheets being sliced into wide ribbons.
  1. Cut the fresh lasagne sheets into wide strips. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
A bunch of fresh parsley being chopped and separated into stems and leaves and a skillet of browning sausage.
  1. Separate the parsley leaves and stems and chop them. Slice the garlic.
  2. Brown the sausage in a large skillet.
Fresh parsley and garlic being cooked in a skillet with sausage and red wine being poured into the skillet.
  1. Stir in the garlic and parsley stems, and fennel, and continue to cook until golden.
  2. Pour in the red wine. Let it simmer until almost evaporated.
  3. Pour the passata into the skillet. Stir until combined with the sausage and herbs.
Passata and noodles being added to a skillet with sausage and parsley.
  1. Add the pasta to the skillet. Pour enough boiling water over the pasta to just cover it and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed.
Parmesan cheese being sprinkled over a skillet of sausage pappardelle.
  1. Stir in the parsley leaves, season to taste, and sprinkle with Parmesan. Serve.

Common Questions

What is pappardelle?

Pappardelle is a wide, flat noodle, similar to fettuccine, but wider, measuring about 1 inch wide. It originated in Tuscany and is a popular choice of noodle for ragu-type sauces.

Can I double or triple the recipe?

Yes, the recipe doubles very well, and you can even triple it to serve 4 people. We don’t recommend making a batch larger than this, as it becomes difficult to manage the noodles. If you are tripling the recipe, use a larger skillet or Dutch oven to accommodate all of the ingredients.

What should I serve with this?

Most of our testers found that this hearty pasta dish needed only a side salad and a piece of garlic toast to make a full meal. If you want to make other Jamie Oliver favorites, we recommend warm arugula salad and garlic buns. Don’t forget to enjoy the rest of the red wine alongside your meal.

Helpful Tips

  • Use a pizza cutter to easily slice the lasagne noodles into strips.
  • To reheat the pasta, gently warm it over medium-low heat, adding a little more passata and a splash of water, if needed.
  • To make this recipe vegetarian, use plant-based sausage.
A skillet full of sausage pappardelle, topped with grated Parmesan cheese.

More Great Sausage Pasta Recipes

Write a Review

If you make this recipe, or any dish on LC, consider leaving a review, a star rating, and your best photo in the comments below. I love hearing from you.–David

A metal skillet filled with sausage pappardelle with grated Parmesan on top.

Jamie Oliver’s Sausage Pappardelle

4.91 / 11 votes
This sausage pappardelle is made in just one-pan with fresh pasta, sausage, and a luxurious wine-infused tomato sauce, and it comes together in under 30 minutes. It's an easy weeknight dinner that feels worthy of a special occasion.
David Leite
CourseEntree
CuisineItalian
Servings1 generous serving
Calories1011 kcal
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time25 minutes

Ingredients 

  • 4 1/2 ounces fresh lasagne sheets (or fresh wide noodles)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/2 small bunch (1/2 oz) Italian parsley
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 fresh sausage, such as Italian, pork, or veggie
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1/4 cup dry Italian red wine
  • 3/4 cup passata (strained tomatoes)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Parmesan cheese, for serving
  • Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving (optional)

Instructions 

  • Fill a kettle with water and bring to a boil. Cut the lasagne sheets lengthways into 1 1/4-inch (3-cm) strips to make pappardelle.
  • Peel and finely slice the garlic. Finely chop the top leafy half of the parsley, then the stalks, keeping them separate.
  • Heat a large skillet over high heat. Once hot, drizzle in the olive oil, then squeeze the sausage meat out of the skin into the skillet, breaking it up with your spoon (if using a veggie sausage, crumble or slice).
  • Cook the sausage, stirring frequently, until it begins to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, parsley stalks, and fennel seeds, and cook until lightly golden, 2 to 3 minutes more. Watch closely and reduce the heat if necessary, as the garlic may begin to brown quickly.
  • Pour in the red wine and let it simmer until almost evaporated.
  • Stir in the passata and add the pasta to the skillet.
  • Carefully pour in enough boiling water to just cover the pasta, about 1 1/4 cups (296 ml). Let it bubble away, stirring regularly until the pasta has absorbed most of the water and you’ve got a nice rich sauce, 4 to 5 minutes. Loosen with an extra splash of water, if needed.
  • Turn the heat off, stir in the parsley leaves, then season with salt and pepper to perfection. Finish with a grating of Parmesan and a kiss of extravirgin olive oil, if you like.

Notes

  1. Easier cutting–Use a pizza cutter to easily slice the lasagne noodles into strips.
  2. Scaling–The recipe can be doubled or tripled. If tripling, use a larger skillet or Dutch oven.
  3. Reheating–To reheat the pasta, gently warm it over medium-low heat, adding a little more passata and a splash of water, if needed.
  4. Dietary–To make this recipe vegetarian, use plant-based sausage.
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Nutrition

Serving: 1 recipeCalories: 1011 kcalCarbohydrates: 91 gProtein: 34 gFat: 53 gSaturated Fat: 15 gMonounsaturated Fat: 27 gCholesterol: 178 mgSodium: 907 mgFiber: 4 gSugar: 9 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @leitesculinaria or tag #leitesculinaria!
Recipe © 2023 Jamie Oliver. Photos © 2023 David Leite. Photo © 2023 Richard Clatworthy. All rights reserved.

Recipe Testers’ Reviews

Super quick and tasty sausage pappardelle! I doubled the recipe to serve me and my beloved, and it came together in 25 minutes.

A white bowl filled with a portion of sausage pappardelle, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

I couldn’t find fresh noodles, so I par-cooked wide egg noodles (I love the Amish brand Mrs. Miller’s) and then finished them in the sauce instead of cooking them entirely in it – I used 1/4 cup instead of 1 1/4 cups of water. It worked great.

I loved the golden-brown sausage, the doubling down on the fennel (I used Italian sausage, which has lots of it), the brightness of the passata, and the use of the parsley stalks as well as the leaves.

My partner doesn’t love fennel or parsley like I do, and yet he loved this dish. It was a nice break from spaghetti for us. He still got his red sauce, but I got more complex herbal flavors and yummy sausage.



A quick sausage with pasta recipe has always been a go-to for me on a weeknight. I ALWAYS have an extra spicy Italian sausage or two in my freezer for just that. When I read this recipe, I was all in.

I used fresh pappardelle from a local pasta shop a few towns away, spicy hot Italian sausage that I had stashed in the freezer, and a splash of our favorite Chianti. Do not be fooled by the short list of ingredients, the cooking method brings a depth of flavor that was layered and comforting, much more than a sum of the ingredients.

I did add a generous amount of freshly ground pepper and some red pepper flakes before adding a shower of grated Parmesan. This recipe is a keeper for a quick, elegant comforting meal to spoil your loved ones. Enjoy it with a glass of your favorite Chianti.

This pappardelle recipe may not have a lot of ingredients, but you wouldn’t know it. It’s so delicious and took less than 15 minutes to put together. 

I thought at first the fennel would be a little overpowering, but it absolutely wasn’t, it added a depth of flavour that was quite tasty.  The use of fresh lasagna noodles was such a creative idea and it was the perfect serving portion for one person.  I used a spicy Italian sausage, as that’s my favourite and I served it with some nice garlic toast. 

We loved this sausage pappardelle! It ticked all the boxes: easy, delicious, one pan, few dirty dishes, and a short ingredient list.

I did not have fennel seeds, but the Italian sausage I used had plenty of fennel; I didn’t think it needed additional fennel (and am not crazy about the seeds), but it’s a matter of personal taste. I used a basic fresh fettuccine pasta from the grocery store, cut it into thirds and had great success.

I highly recommend this recipe! I doubled the recipe and it served two with some leftovers.

I made Jamie Oliver’s sausage pappardelle on a night when the rain was blowing sideways. It turned out to be the perfect hearty dish for a cold winter night. It is quick and easy to prepare.

I substituted fresh pappardelle made with a Phillips Pasta Maker for the fresh lasagna sheets. Store bought fresh pappardelle will also work as a substitute for those who do not have pasta makers. 

I doubled the recipe, which was fortunate, because my husband scarfed down multiple servings.  It disappeared so quickly I did not have time to photograph the final product.

If making again, I might add more sausage.  The recipe is simple enough to allow for adjustments to personal taste. The sauce was thick and tangy. 

I served the pasta with a bitter green salad with pears and some garlic toast.  The pasta is real comfort food and made a cold blustery day much warmer.

Who can argue with a one-pot pasta dish that takes less than 20 minutes to prepare? This pappardelle recipe is all about the ingredients and oozes flexibility.

Cooking for a vegetarian? Use veggie sausage. Looking for a healthier option? Use chicken sausage.

Easily doubled, I got three generous portions from the recipe. I found the passata to be a little smooth for my own tastes so when making this dish a second time, I used the same quantity of crushed tomatoes in place of the passata and appreciated having that additional little bit of texture. 

With easy prep, a short cooking time, and very little cleanup to do, I am happy to add this to the weekday dinner rotation. 

I believe that this the first time, after testing recipes for many years, that I actually doubled a recipe so that there would be enough to feed the two of us.

I purchased fresh pappardelle at a local pasta shop where you can buy, fresh daily, pasta in bulk. I really appreciate that, because I can buy what I need, and not have small amounts of various leftovers from prepackaged pasta that usually come in one of 2 sizes, 10 ounce packages, or 1 pound packages. That being said, in the case of this recipe, having a little bit more, or less, pappardelle is not a problem, being that you can always adjust the sauce ingredients a bit.

There were 2 components in this recipe that I was unsure of, and actually wished that I could change. Being that it was a test recipe, I exercised some self-control, and forged ahead, limiting myself to the recipe as written.

When it comes to parsley, I have only used the leaves of the plant. With cilantro, I do use the stems as well as the leaves, but with parsley I always thought the stems to be tough, and have never chopped them up and used them as you do here. The stems were a nice addition to the sauce, and I liked the thought that I was using something that would have just ended up in the compost bin.

The other ingredient that I silently wanted to change was keeping the fennel seeds whole. I like fennel seeds quite a lot, but have always toasted them in a small cast iron pan, and then ground them. When leaving them whole, they were not something to get caught in your teeth, but ended up being little pops of flavor.

In both cases, I learned a new technique, liked the results of both, and will use both of them again.

We were serving a Napa Valley Zinfandel with this for dinner, so I actually used 1/3 C. of that dry Zinfandel for my red wine in the dish.

I went to 4 stores, looking for passata, strained tomatoes, including 2 places where I used to buy jars of them. I couldn’t find them, but they are very easy to make, no need to even seek them out. I drained cans of diced tomatoes placed the drained tomatoes in the food processor, and pulsed them till I had a nice chunky sauce.

The finished dish made for a comforting, bistro-style bowl of pasta. It was very easy to throw together, and something I can see making again, especially if I have a bunch of parsley that I would like to find a use for. We enjoyed a green salad with thin slices of purple onion and cubed beets with this dish.


For any home cook with limited time on their hands, this pappardelle recipe takes the cake by delivering beyond-satisfactory flavours with just a quick and easy half-hour preparation. While I am personally not the most drawn to tomato-based sauces in pasta dishes, the slight anise taste provided by the fennel made it increasingly enjoyable for me.

Of course, I was not the only one in my family to contribute to the fact that there simply were no leftovers, all around this dish was a hit. I would argue that the original dish (without being doubled as I did in my preparation) would better serve 2 people as it is quite filling, though it does pair nicely with a salad and a loaf of bread.

Regardless, I believe that this recipe deserves a tester’s choice, on one merit for its simplicity, and another for its crowd appeal.

Sausage pappardelle, a wildly simple, delicious, comforting, and clever dish. One that is rustic enough for one and elegant enough for company.

Its simplicity lies in its execution, namely a 10 to 15 min prep time. While the kettle boiled, fresh lasagna sheets (genius) were cut to cleverly form the beautiful pappardelle noodles. Once cut, I separated them and placed them on a sheet pan to avoid any sticking.

When adding in the garlic, parsley, and fennel seeds, close vigilance was needed as the garlic turned lightly brown in about 30 secs. I then added about 1/2 cup of Chianti wine, cooked it for 2 to 3 minutes, and then proceeded to magically create a simple, fresh, and decadent pasta sauce in under 5 minutes. Admittedly, I was skeptical! Was this possible in such a short time? 

I persisted and as directed, added the passata, fresh pasta noodles, and 1 1/4 cups of boiling water. I bubbled and gently stirred the sauce for exactly 4 minutes, as recommended. The consistency and amount of sauce were both perfect. The pasta was al dente, and it grabbed the sauce with a vengeance!  No additional water was needed.

It was seasoned to perfection with kosher salt and pepper and sprinkled with fresh parsley and grated Pecorino Romano.  Delicious!! The sweet, slightly crispy Italian sausage and the subtle background flavor of the fennel seeds blended so nicely with the rich and simple wine infused tomato sauce, all of which enveloped those fresh pasta noodles. 

A meal I will surely make again, when I have an extra 30 mins!  Haa!!        

This recipe is simple enough to make on a weekday evening after work. The recipe as written is for one person. However you can scale it up.

I quadrupled the ingredients and I found that that amount of pasta was hard to handle even in a wide-based frying pan. There was a tendency for it to sit on top of other strips in the pan and so I felt I had to toss it around to keep it cooking and to prevent it sticking together. Although I would say that 4x the reipe would be about the limit I would try to make in a frying pan, it worked well.

I added a little splash more water to prevent it drying out and some olive oil to prevent it sticking together. Although I am not a big fan of fennel, it was acceptable to me at this level. My husband thought the ‘button sausages’ were delicious and the amount of sausage was just enough for you to want to find another button sausage.

I would suggest using tongs to lift the pasta and move it around. Perhaps a wok would be a better choice if you are scaling up the recipe.

The finished dish was delicious and looked of restaurant quality. The chianti was very nice with it. The recipe could also be changed around, using a cream-based sauce and some chicken and tarragon perhaps.

The fresh pasta also cooked quickly and overall the dish looked of restaurant quality.

If you’re in the mood for an easy comfort meal, look no further than Jamie Oliver’s sausage pappardelle! This pappardelle recipe is very straightforward, and it feels like a warm hug on a cold night.

I appreciated that the ingredient list was concise, using the fewest ingredients possible to extract the maximum amount of flavor. I recommend using a hot Italian sausage, as the additional flavor lends itself well to the sauce. I found it to be a perfect stand-alone meal, with a very generous dusting of Parmesan, though a side salad would certainly be a nice accompaniment.

The final portion is quite generous and could easily serve two.

This sausage pappardelle recipe from Jamie Oliver is a satisfying meal that transported this taster from Tampa to Tuscany. Using pappardelle noodles and Italian sausage from a local market is recommended if at possible. The noodles have a silky texture and are not easily overcooked. 

The sequencing of this recipe is excellent, and the aroma increases with each ingredient. Having selected an Italian sausage for the recipe, there was some concern that the additional fennel might be too much but that was not the case. Not only was the fennel a pleasant surprise but, the Italian parsley stems really brighten up the dish.

There was just the right amount of heat in the dish from the sausage, so there was no need for additional seasoning at the end. Simply grate the Parmesan, garnish and go to it!




About David Leite

I count myself lucky to have received three James Beard Awards for my writing as well as for Leite’s Culinaria. My work has also appeared in The New York Times, Martha Stewart Living, Saveur, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Yankee, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, and more.


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Recipe Rating





2 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This was delicious and easy to pull together with a minimum of prep. I was a bit lazy with the ingredients and measurements. For example I couldn’t find fresh pasta, so I bought a good quality dried pappardelle and parboiled it. I doubled the recipe, which can easily feed 4, and used a whole 1 lb. package of loose hot Italian sausage that I already had instead of the two sausages called for.

    The passata was a 14-oz. jar, and I threw it all in instead of the 12 ounces called for. See what I mean by lazy? The recipe is very forgiving.

    I also threw a couple of handfuls of frozen sweet peas in at the end for another layer of flavor, texture, and a pop of color.

    1. It’s a very forgiving recipe, Lexi. We’re delighted that it turned out so well for you. Thanks for taking the time to comment.