Sticky Honey Garlic Sausage Pasta (Printable)

Smoked sausage and penne tossed in a rich honey garlic sauce, all cooked in one skillet for an easy weeknight dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 14 oz smoked sausage, sliced into rounds

→ Pantry Staples

02 - 9 oz penne or fusilli pasta, dry
03 - 2 tbsp olive oil
04 - 2 tbsp soy sauce
05 - 3 tbsp honey
06 - 2 tbsp tomato paste

→ Aromatics

07 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
08 - 1 medium onion, thinly sliced

→ Liquids

09 - 1 ½ cups chicken broth

→ Herbs & Spices

10 - 1 tsp dried chili flakes
11 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish

12 - 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

# How-To Steps:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain thoroughly and set aside, reserving ¼ cup pasta water if desired.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced sausage in a single layer and cook for 3-4 minutes, turning once, until evenly browned and caramelized on both sides.
03 - Add sliced onion to the skillet with the sausage. Reduce heat to medium and sauté for 3 minutes until softened and translucent. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn.
04 - Pour in chicken broth, soy sauce, honey, and tomato paste. Stir thoroughly to dissolve tomato paste and combine ingredients. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Bring mixture to a gentle simmer.
05 - Add cooked pasta to the skillet. Toss vigorously with tongs to coat evenly in the sauce. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until sauce reduces and thickens, clinging nicely to the pasta.
06 - Remove from heat. Season with chili flakes and black pepper to taste. Transfer to serving plates or a communal platter. Sprinkle generously with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The sauce clings to every curve of pasta like it found its permanent home
  • Its that perfect balance where salty meets sweet and neither wins
  • Cleanup is basically just one skillet and a pasta pot
02 -
  • Undercook your pasta by one minute because it will continue absorbing sauce in the skillet
  • The sauce will look thin at first but keep simmering and it will transform into something velvety
  • Tomato paste needs time to cook into the other flavors so do not rush that initial simmer
03 -
  • Let the sausage get properly browned before adding anything else because that fond on the bottom of the pan is flavor gold
  • Room temperature honey incorporates into the sauce much more easily than cold honey straight from the pantry

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