Weeknight-Friendly and Restaurant-Worthy – Say Hello to Your New Favorite Easy Pasta Recipe!
It’s no secret–pasta recipes are my truest culinary love. There’s nothing better than a good pasta dish and creating new pasta recipes is my absolute favorite thing to do!
And this Creamy Marsala Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage and Mushrooms? Inspired by one of my favorite pasta dishes from the Italian restaurant I worked at after college, this recipe packs flavor in a way that’ll make you feel like you’re dining out, without the wait or the price tag. It’s so gooooooood on every level! 😍
What makes it even better? It comes together in just 35 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients. Rich, creamy, and oh-so-satisfying, it’s the ultimate easy comfort food.
Browned Italian sausage, deeply caramelized onions, and a pan sauce made from marsala wine build the most amazing base of savory, spicy, and slightly sweet flavors. Then, we finish it off with toasted walnuts for a satisfying crunch and a shower of freshly grated parmesan. So good!
We first shared this creamy marsala pasta back in 2017, but we’re bringing it back today with improved recipe instructions and updated photography. Whether you’re in the mood for a quick weeknight dinner or planning a cozy date night or girls’ night in, this dish is totally restaurant-worthy. Trust me, classic Italian comfort doesn’t get better than this!
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Get 5 days of pasta tips learned from my years in a fine-dining Italian restaurant.
Key Ingredients
Like the best classic Italian meals, this marsala cream pasta recipe is all about giving humble yet flavor-forward ingredients a little TLC to create a totally special, showstopping meal.
The star ingredient in this marsala pasta is dry marsala wine. Marsala is a fortified wine, meaning it is a wine that is “fortified” with a distilled spirit. It’s made with grapes indigenous to Sicily and is most often fortified with brandy. It has amazing notes of rich caramel and vanilla. While often used in cooking here in the U.S., marsala can also be enjoyed as a sipping wine before or after a meal, similar to how you’d enjoy a nice port, sherry, or vermouth.
Where to buy marsala wine? ⇢ Here’s the deal. Please don’t buy “cooking marsala” from the grocery store! They’re typically not of great quality, and in a dish like pork chop marsala, the flavor in the wine is what provides the signature flavor of the marsala sauce. Instead, look in the fortified wine section at your favorite wine or liquor shop. Marsala labeled “Fine” (fino) or “Superior” is great for cooking.
Other key ingredients:
- Pasta – Of course! I prefer making this creamy pasta dish with a short, tubular pasta, like rigatoni. The chunky bits of mushroom, sausage, and walnut get trapped inside, making each bite really textural and flavorful. Orecchiette, shellbows, casarecce, and radiatori are also all great options for a similar reason.
- Italian sausage – I love using spicy Italian sausage since the slight kick of heat is a nice counterbalance to the natural sweetness of marsala wine, though you can easily use mild or sweet – whatever you like most!
- Mushrooms – Cremini mushrooms, which are also known as “baby bellas,” are my favorite mushrooms for everyday cooking. Feel free to use regular ol’ white mushrooms if that’s what you have on hand.
- Walnuts – A surprising secret ingredient, which adds wonderful hearty texture to this creamy marsala pasta. Feel free to omit if you’re not a fan or if you’re allergic!
- Simple aromatics – Namely a yellow onion and some garlic to add plenty of flavor to the base of the marsala wine sauce.
How to Make Marsala Pasta Sauce
What makes this recipe really special is the homemade marsala pasta sauce.
It’s a pan sauce so, despite being quick and easy to make, it’s really flavorful, picking up all of the richness coaxed out of rich Italian sausage and earthy mushrooms. Plus, it has the best rich and creamy texture and the perfect balance of savory-sweet flavor thanks to the caramelly notes in the marsala wine.
Add the walnuts to a skillet and cook for a few minutes, just until toasty and fragrant. Why? ⇢ Toasting draws out the walnuts’ natural oils, making them even more fragrant and flavorful.
Brown the Italian sausage in a little olive oil, then do the same with the onion and mushrooms. Take time to let each component brown thoroughly, to the point that they almost begin to caramelize. Why? ⇢ Browning the sausage and veggies creates a foundation of rich flavor for this marsala pasta sauce, which is so important! Since it’s a pan sauce, we rely on the browned bits that develop on the bottom of the pan (i.e. fond) throughout this process, as they create a flavorful base for the marsala pan sauce.
Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the marsala wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up all of the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Once the wine is almost cooked off, finish the sauce by stirring in some chicken stock and heavy cream. Why? ⇢ The wine creates steam as it hits the hot pan, releasing the browned bits (i.e. fond) on the bottom of the pan. This is where the flavor is, so you want to scrape it up to incorporate it into the marsala sauce.
Bringing it All Together – Creamy Marsala Pasta
With the marsala pasta sauce prepped and ready to go, all that’s left is tossing it into pasta – easy! If you want to double down on the marsala flavor, pair with our Pork Marsala with Mushrooms for the ultimate cozy meal.
The #1 mistake I see home cooks make when preparing a pasta dish is simply plopping sauce on a plate of cooked pasta. Please don’t do this! For restaurant-worthy results, always simmer your al dente pasta with the bolognese sauce before serving. To learn more, check out my complete guide for How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time.
Storage and Reheating
Leftover marsala pasta will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through–so easy!
I can’t wait for you to try this Creamy Marsala Pasta! It’s a long-time favorite here on PWWB, and I know you’re going to love it just as much as we do.
If you do give it a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! Happy cooking! ♡
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Creamy Marsala Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage and Mushrooms
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Main Dishes, Pasta Recipes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
With the perfect balance of spicy-subtly sweet-savory flavor, this Creamy Marsala Pasta is an all-time favorite! Spicy Italian sausage & deeply caramelized mushrooms tossed into your pasta of choice with the best creamy marsala sauce. The secret ingredient? – a handful of toasted walnuts, which add surprising, satisfying meaty texture.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni or short pasta of choice
- heaping ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound bulk spicy Italian sausage (or mild, as desired)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 16 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- optional: up to 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
- 1 cup dry marsala wine (see Recipe Notes)
- ½ cup chicken stock or broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- heaping ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: grated parmesan or pecorino romano, finely chopped basil or parsley, crushed red pepper flakes, etc.
Instructions
Prep note: Once you begin cooking, this marsala pasta comes together very quickly! I suggest you start by getting all of the chopping, measuring & other prep odds & ends out of the way so cooking is a smooth process: dice the onion, slice the mushrooms, chop the garlic, measure your liquid ingredients, etc. Place everything within an arm’s reach from the stovetop.
- Boil the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water. Add the pasta and cook to al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Toast the walnuts: Meanwhile, as the pasta boils, toast the walnuts. Add the walnuts to a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast, monitoring closely & shaking occasionally to prevent burning, for 3-4 minutes, just until toasty & fragrant. Transfer toasted walnuts to a plate & set aside. Carefully wipe out the skillet & return to medium heat.
- Brown the Italian sausage: Add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the same skillet used to toast the walnuts in Step 2, increasing the heat to medium-high . Once hot & shimmering, add in the Italian sausage. Cook 5-6 minutes, until browned & rendered, using a wooden spoon to break the sausage into fine bite-sized crumbles as it cooks. If the sausage starts to brown too quickly, reduce the heat to medium or medium-low. Once browned, transfer the sausage to a plate & set aside.
- Cook the aromatics: If needed, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet. Once hot & shimmering, add in the yellow onion & cremini mushrooms. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt & ground black pepper, as desired. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions & mushrooms soften & begin to caramelize – this will take 8-10 minutes as we’re after nice, browned color. Stir in the garlic & crushed red chili flakes (if using) & cook for an additional minute or so, until fragrant.
- Build the creamy marsala sauce: Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the marsala wine & chicken stock. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan. Add in the browned sausage & toasted walnuts, stirring to combine. Bring everything to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium or medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Stir in the heavy cream & grated parmesan. Cook 3-4 minutes more, stirring occasionally, to allow everything to meld together. At this point, the pasta should be ready to drain.
- Finish the pasta marsala: Add the pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat with the creamy marsala sauce. Adjust as needed so the marsala sauce evenly coats the pasta – if the mixture is too thick, toss in a little reserved pasta water; if the mixture is too loose, toss in an extra handful of parmesan cheese, etc. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to meld with & absorb some of the sauce. Remove from the heat.
- Serve immediately, topped with additional grated parmesan, chopped basil or parsley, &/or a sprinkling of crushed red pepper, as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Marsala is a fortified wine, meaning it is a wine that is “fortified” with a distilled spirit, most often fortified with brandy. It has amazing rich caramelly & vanilla notes & is wonderful to cook with. You should be able to find marsala in the fortified wine section at your favorite wine or liquor shop. Marsala labeled “Fine” (fino) or “Superior” is great for cooking. If you cannot find marsala, the closest substitute for this recipe is Madiera, a Portuguese fortified wine with similar flavor profiles to marsala.
- Storage & Reheating: Leftover creamy marsala pasta will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through.
- 10-Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all of the active prep work for this creamy marsala pasta comes from prepping the veggies. Take care of this in advance & store in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It takes 10 minutes, tops, & with the prep work done, you can jump straight into cooking at dinnertime.
- Dice 1 medium yellow onion (<5 minutes active)
- Slice 16 ounces cremini (baby bella) mushrooms (~5 minutes active)
- Note: This recipe has been updated since its original publish in February 2017. If you are looking for the original recipe, which included roasted sausage, click here to download a printable version!
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So so good! We made this for dinner tonight and my husband said it was 10 out of 10! He had three helpings! We will definitely be making again. The walnuts are an absolute must! Thank you for a great recipe.
Three helpings is the highest praise, Deb! So glad to hear you both loved the pasta! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review.
Can the sauce be made in advance then pasta added to it the next day?
Hi DD, you can definitely do that, but we prefer making the pasta at the same time as the sauce to keep all the flavors fresh! If you want to get a head start, chopping the onion and mushrooms ahead of time can make dinnertime super quick and easy!
How do you think sweet marsala wine would be in place of the dry? I have the sweet on hand but will pick up the dry if needed. Your recipe sounds amazing!! Can’t wait to make it
Hi Gloria, a dry marsala is pretty essential for this recipe! I hope that’s not too much of a hassle 🙂
My husband and I are very picky about having very delicious dishes that are also healthy. This one is now on regular rotation and officially one of my favorite dinners. It also is amazing as left overs!
We love a meal that’s great as leftovers! So glad you and your husband love this one, Dani!
I made this with an imported tricolor tube pasta I was saving for a special dish. The recipe is adaptable with what is on hand; I subbed half & half and added kale. I’d make this easy, elegant, versatile pasta again and again. Delish!
So glad to hear that the pasta turned out great for you, Samantha! Thanks so much for the review!
The sauce was devine, but the sausage overpowers it and we love italian sausage.
There is only two of us so I used half of both the mushrooms and sausage, full amounts of everything else. Still too much sausage flavor. I will absolutely make this again, but with chicken or ground beef.
Hi Cheryl, so sorry to hear the flavor was a bit too sausage-heavy for you! We’d definitely encourage you to try the recipe again with a different meat 🙂
This dish has quickly become a regular recipe in my dinner rotation options. All the flavors work so well together. Since I’m vegetarian, I use a plant-based sausage and king oyster mushrooms because they’re the only ones my husband can eat. These two substitutions don’t take away from the excellent taste of this sauce. I would highly recommend anyone interested in trying it, to do so.
Hi Susan, a vegetarian version of this pasta sounds SO good! We love hearing that this recipe is in your regular rotation – thank you so much for the kind review! 🙂
Had this tonight, only changes were used half lb hot Italian and 1 diced chicken breast – it was soo good, this is going into rotation at our house – thank you <3
Hi Angie! We are SO glad to hear that you loved it & were able to use up what you had on hand. Hope you’ll check out more of our pasta recipes soon! 🙂
making this tonight, cutting the sausage by half and adding chicken, also making with penne or orrechiete, because that’s what’s on hand
I don’t usually leave reviews on recipes but I just had to say how great and easy this was. I left out the walnuts as I didn’t have any and used penne pasta.
I’ll admit I was a little nervous at first with how watery the Marsala sauce was but once I added the noodles and let it simmer a little longer the pasta soaked everything up.
It was extremely flavorful and my husband absolutely loved it. It was a nice change of pace from the usual tomato based pasta dish.
Hi Marie! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment, it means so much! We’re so glad you & your husband loved this pasta & hope you’ll check out our other pasta recipes too!
This was AMAZING! It’s been on my list to make for months and I finally did it, SO GOOD. I used sweet Italian sausage instead of spicy because the grocery store was out, but increased the amount of red pepper flakes to make up for it. Walnuts were also an unexpectedly great addition. Make this!!
Ah it sounds like it turned out perfect Shannon! So glad you enjoyed & yes the walnuts make all the difference!! Thank you for sharing!
Great flavor. Next time I’ll cut the Italian sausage by 1/2.
Hi Danielle! Thanks so much for your comment & review! We are SO glad you enjoyed it!
Patrick and I are planning to try out this recipe for one of our upcoming date nights! Be prepared for a frantic text message from me…”am i doing this right?!” 🙂
you guys are going to love it! it’s SO easy, but i’ll be ready & waiting for any text messages! =) xx
This looks beautiful 🙂 loving your work!
thank you so much, georgie! (it tastes delicious too ;)) hope you keep stoppin’ by!
JESSSSS! These photos! And YOU! One of my favorite posts so far, for real! This dish is just perfect and I love how you talk about the quality of ingredients and the type of pasta. This will be my dad’s new favorite meal, I am SOOO making this for him!
Allie, you make my day! Thank you so, so much, it’s one of my favorites too. I hope your pops LOVES marsala pasta…let me know what he thinks!! xx
This looks so dreamy Jess! And totally perfect for Valentine’s Day at home. Pat and I always talk about how important it is to still ‘date’ each other even though we’re married and it sounds like you and Chris feel the same. Happy V-Day!
we absolutely feel the same, ellie! it is SO important to keep things fresh & fun. happy valentine’s to you & p! xx