The Best Creamy Chorizo Pasta

Ready in just about 20 minutes, this creamy chorizo pasta is the answer to your weeknight dinner prayers. It serves up everything you could want in a chorizo creamy pasta: a decadent, velvety tomato sauce, spicy sausage, and tender rigatoni. I can’t wait for you to try it – and if you’re in a chorizo mood, check out my Chicken and Chorizo Risotto.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This creamy chorizo pasta is the best weeknight comfort food with unbeatable flavour.

• Fast: I think any meal that can be made in under 30 minutes is perfect for a quick weeknight meal. And you are in luck because this chorizo pasta is actually done in about 20 minutes, just like my Easy Chicken Piccata.
• Creamy: The sauce is made with silky heavy cream, which makes you just want to curl up on the couch with this creamy goodness. It rivals the texture of my Gigi Hadid Pasta.
• Flavorful: Between the acidic tomatoes, the velvety cream, and the zesty sausage, I am not sure which part of this chorizo pasta recipe I like best.

If you have any leftover chorizo, try making my Chicken and Chorizo Paella, Roasted Gnocchi with Chorizo and Vegetables and Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Stew.

Ingredients

You only need a few staples to pull this creamy chorizo pasta together.

• Rigatoni: Rigatoni is what I am using in this particular creamy chorizo pasta recipe, but any smaller type of pasta will work for this dish as well! If you have wider pasta like parpadelle, consider making my Easy Ragu Bianco for the creamiest sauce. 
• Spanish chorizo: Chorizo is obviously what helps keep the chorizo sausage pasta flavourful. Make sure to aim for Spanish chorizo when at the grocery store because it works best in this recipe. If you have leftover sausage, use it in my Spanish Chicken Traybake.
• Double cream + parmesan: Double cream (or heavy whipping cream) keeps it decadent, and parmesan finishes the sauce off properly.

See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.

Variations / Adaptations

This creamy chorizo pasta is a lovely versatile meal, so you can make it your own.

• Veg boost: Add vegetables like broccoli, spinach, leek, aubergine, olives, or peas to your pasta with chorizo. I hide veggies in my Healthy Chicken Lasagna as well and it’s delish.
• Pasta swap: Use pasta you already have like fusilli, spaghetti, penne, linguini, tagliatelle, or orzo for an easy chorizo pasta using what’s in the cupboard.
• Dairy-free / vegan: Make the whole creamy pasta dish vegan by using vegan sausage and dairy free cream. For a lovely vegetarian option, try my Baked Ravioli Casserole.

How to make this Creamy Chorizo Pasta

Preheat oven to 390°F  (200°C)

1. On a chopping board, finely slice the mushrooms and then the onions (Image 1).
2. Then roughly slice the chorizo into small pieces (Image 2).

3. Then add half of the rapeseed oil to a large frying pan and increase the heat to high. Add the mushrooms into the hot pan. Leave to brown for 3 minutes on a high heat, then stir and leave to brown for another 3 minutes. Remove the browned mushrooms from the pan and season with salt (Image 3).

4. Reduce the heat to low and add the onion and torn chorizo into the pan. Gently fry to render the fat from the chorizo (Image 4).

5. After 5 minutes of frying, add the tomato puree into the pan, along with the garlic, chilli flakes (optional) and fresh thyme (Image 5). 

* At this stage, add your rigatoni to salted boiling water, setting a timer to 2 minutes minus the packet time.

6. Now that the tomato puree has darkened, add around 4 ladles of pasta water into the pan (Image 6).

7. Whilst the tomato puree is gently frying away, add the kale into a baking tray and coat with the remaining rapeseed oil.  Season with salt and pepper and pop in the oven for 7 minutes. Check the kale after 5 minutes in the oven, to ensure it’s not burning (Image 7).

8. Now add the cream, parmesan and lemon juice to the fried chorizo/tomato and add the cooked mushrooms back into the pan. Pour the undercooked pasta into the pan and stir until everything is incorporated. Add pasta water as necessary and cook until the sauce is nicely thickened and the pasta is perfectly cooked. Top with fresh basil and additional parmesan (Image 8).

Need inspiration for some main meal recipes? Try my Shredded Chicken Tacos in Crockpot, Steak Pasta with Creamy Sauce and Thin Pork Chops in Air Fryer.

The Secret to the Perfect Chorizo Cream Sauce

The key to this dish is the chorizo cream sauce. To get that signature orange, glossy look without it splitting, you need to follow the “render and reduce” method.

First, let the chorizo release its vibrant red oils slowly. Then, when adding the cream, turn the heat down. If you boil cream too aggressively with the acidic tomatoes and chorizo oil, it can separate. Gentle simmering creates that velvety emulsion that coats the pasta perfectly.

Serving Suggestions

This creamy chorizo pasta is hearty, so light sides work well. It also loves bread for mopping up the rich creamy tomato chorizo pasta sauce.

• Garlic bread
• Smashed Broccoli with Parmesan
• Sauteed Savoy Cabbage
• Cavolo Nero with Garlic & Lemon
• Jennifer Aniston Salad (Easy 10-Minute Recipe) 

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

Refrigerator: The creamy chorizo pasta will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freezer: It will last in the freezer for up to three months.

Reheat: Pop it in the microwave for about 15 seconds at a time, stirring between until it is hot all the way through (especially for spicy chorizo pasta leftovers).

FAQs

Check out some of my other chorizo recipes like: Chicken and Chorizo Risotto, Spanish Chorizo and Butter Bean Slow Cooker Stew and One Pot Chorizo and Lentil Soup.