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A big pot of garlicky red sauce, spicy sausage, and twirls of penne…this is that easy, cozy pasta everyone asks for. The secret? Gently caramelized garlic in good olive oil, then a long, lazy simmer so the flavors mingle. A tried and true family favorite.
Slow simmered red sauce with a lot of garlic, Italian herbs, rich olive oil, and spicy chicken sausage. Simmer this sauce low and slow, then toss in fresh penne pasta and top with plenty of cheese. Just add crusty bread…and maybe some wine and you’ll be good to go! Make it on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or low and slow in the slow cooker. Toss with penne, shower with parmesan, and dinner’s done.
Why you will love this recipe
- Minimal prep, big flavor. Great for busy weeknights or when feeding a crowd.
- Stovetop, Instant Pot, or Slow Cooker
Ingredient Notes
- Olive oil & garlic: Go low and slow until the garlic turns lightly golden and smells sweet.
- Jarred marinara: Call out a favorite brand (you mention Rao’s) but reassure that any high-quality marinara works.
- Spicy Italian chicken sausage: Brings savory heat; pork sausage works too. Note: remove casings and crumble for best texture.
- Penne: If using dried, note to cook just shy of al dente so it finishes in the sauce for better absorption.
- Herbs & chili flakes: Layer some into the oil with the garlic, then finish with fresh oregano or basil for a pop at the end.
Recipe Inspiration
Happy December twenty-sixth. Crazy that Christmas has come and gone and we’re now gearing up for the New Year. Hoping you all had a wonderful holiday and enjoyed time with family. Ours was just as chaotic and crazy as it is every year but perfect at the same time. Wouldn’t change a thing.
We had a snowy two days filled with plenty of cooking, good food, drinks, and many laughs. Nothing fancy, but all the things I love. In addition to the usual family members, we also had a very sweet little addition that made this Christmas incredibly special and blessed. More details to come, but it’s safe to say that my family had a very memorable Christmas!
I’m so excited to have the next few days to spend with everyone, and chill and catch up. But the thing about having family in town? It requires a lot of food. Like a lot. This is the time of year when I turn to my super easy, super simple, recipes. The ones I know will feed a crowd and that will be loved by all. Enter this penne pasta. It’s a recipe I adapted from a close family friend. Over the years I’ve tweaked it to make it more of my own, with just the slightest adjustments.
This is a hearty, cozy pasta that comes together in minutes and is ideal for feeding plenty of family and friends. It’s delicious, looks pretty on any table, and everyone enjoys a GOOD penne pasta.
Step by Step
Stovetop Method
Garlic oil: Warm olive oil; add garlic and dried herbs. Gently cook until pale golden and fragrant. The key to this sauce? A lot of olive oil and a lot of garlic. start the sauce by slowly simmering the garlic, herbs, and olive oil together until the garlic is golden and caramelized. This is really important for the best flavor, so take your time when cooking the garlic and go low and slow with it. If you burn it, your sauce will not be nearly as good.
Build the sauce: Once the garlic has turned golden, add a couple of jars of your favorite marinara sauce (I love Rao’s Marinara) and spicy Italian chicken sausage. Stir in marinara and crumbled sausage. Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the sauce tastes rounded and rich. The spicy sausage adds an incredibly rich flavor to the sauce and pleases the meat-eaters in the family.
Pasta + finish: Boil penne; reserve a splash of pasta water. Toss pasta with sauce, adding pasta water as needed for a silky, clinging consistency. Finish with parmesan and fresh oregano.
Instant Pot Method
- Sauté garlic in oil using Sauté mode until lightly golden, then add herbs, marinara, and sausage. Pressure cook per appliance guidelines. Let pressure release naturally for a bit, then switch to quick release. Stir, taste, adjust. (Avoid exact times; point to recipe card if provided.)
Slow Cooker Method
- Add oil, garlic, herbs, marinara, and sausage straight to the crock. Cook on low until flavors deepen. Stir occasionally if you’re around. Finish with cooked penne and parmesan just before serving.
- Note: when cooking the sauce in the slow cooker, just add everything to the slow cooker all at once, cover, and again, cook low and slow for several hours. Because you’re cooking the sauce for a long period of time, you can skip cooking the garlic in oil.
Make Ahead
My tip? Make the sauce the night before you plan to serve, simmer a couple of hours, then chill overnight. The longer the sauce simmers, the better the flavor. The following day, place the sauce on the stove, simmer, then serve. This will give you truly the BEST penne sauce.
When ready to eat, simply cook up some penne pasta, spoon the sauce over the penne, and top with plenty of grated parmesan and fresh oregano. Toss it up, eat, and enjoy!
Simple and easy as that.
How to make this vegetarian
- I often make this vegetarian by omitting the sausage from the recipe. When doing so, I always like to add additional crushed red pepper flakes for heat, herbs, and spices to make up for the lost flavor. I’ve listed out all the measurements in the notes section.
- If you’d like to add protein, I would recommend crispy chickpeas. That will be so delicious!
The sauce looks oily. Did I do something wrong?
GOOD it should be. This sauce is all about the oil and it’s whats makes this the best penne. Once the sauce and penne are combined everything comes together beautifully. And most importantly? It tastes delicious! So an oily sauce is a good sauce. Please trust me.
My garlic turned bitter. What happened?
It likely browned too quickly. Cook over gentle heat and pull the pot off the burner if it darkens; you want pale golden and sweet.
Can I use pork sausage or ground turkey?
Yes. Pork sausage is richer; ground turkey is leaner—taste and adjust salt, chili flakes, and olive oil for balance.
I’ve already made this once this past week for the family. But I’m planning to make another batch for New Year Eve. I like to have this simmering away on the stove for people to enjoy throughout the day. Cold temperatures and outdoor activities mean that people are almost always looking for food. This is the perfect recipe to have warmed and ready to go. You really can’t beat it.
If you make this Best Super Easy Penne…with A Lot of Garlic, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Best Super Easy Penne…with A Lot of Garlic
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 601 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 25 to 30 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano plus fresh oregano, for serving
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 (24 ounce) jars marinara sauce
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3/4 pound spicy ground Italian sausage or chicken sausage
- 1 pound dry penne pasta
- grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
Stove Top
- 1. In a large pot, combine the olive oil, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden and caramelized, 8-10 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and season with salt and black pepper. Stir to combine. It will seem as if the ingredients aren’t coming together, but don’t worry.2. Roll the sausage into tiny grape-size meatballs and place them in the sauce. Stir to combine. Partially cover the pot, reduce the heat to low, and cook for at least 1 hour or up to all day, stirring every hour or so.3. When ready to serve, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne according to package directions until al dente. Drain and divide the hot pasta among plates, topping each with sauce, parmesan, and oregano. Serve with crusty bread to soak up the extra sauce. Enjoy!
Instant pot
- In the instant pot, combine the olive oil, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes. Set the instant pot to sauté and cook until the garlic is golden and caramelized, 5 minutes. Stir in the marinara sauce and season with salt and black pepper. It will seem as if the ingredients aren’t coming together, but don’t worry. 2. Roll the sausage into tiny grape-sized meatballs and place them in the sauce. Stir to combine.. Cover and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. 3. Finish as directed above.
Slow Cooker
- 1. In the slow cooker, combine the olive oil, garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, red pepper flakes, marinara sauce and season with salt and black pepper. Stir to combine. It will seem as if the ingredients aren’t coming together, but don’t worry. 2. Roll the sausage into tiny grape-size meatballs and place them in the sauce. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. 3. Finish as directed above.
Notes
If Your Sauce Is Oily: It’s probably just right! This sauce is all about the oil and it’s meant to be oily. Once the sauce is tossed with the pasta, everything comes together perfectly. If you feel like the sausage has released more oil than you’d like, you can scoop away excess oil using a large spoon or 1/4 cup measure.
To Make Vegetarian: omit the sausage and instead add, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper.
This post was originally published on December 26, 2019
This is one of my family’s favorite meals. It’s in our weekly rotation! It’s also always my go to for meal trains. Delicious!!
Hi Katy,
Happy Wednesday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Hi! I ran out of olive oil (whoops!) can I substitute a portion of the olive oil with avocado oil?!
Hi Cecelia,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This was SO good! We added burrata because we had some leftover from another recipe and it was 🤌🏼🤌🏼. Definitely making this one again.
Hi Heather,
Awesome! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great weekend! xx
I made this recipe and my instant pot kept saying burn. Has anyone else experience this?
Hi Virginia,
So sorry to hear this, I have never experienced this! Was there anything you adjusted? Let me know! xTieghan
I’d like to start by saying that I have loved all of the Half Baked Harvest recipes I’ve tried! I got your cookbook for my birthday and today I tried the Mrs. Mooney’s Penne recipe. It is nearly the same as this recipe but called for 2 cups of olive oil. My family liked it but there was just so much oil! If I make it again, I would try this recipe.
Hey Kristine,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try. Yes, Mrs. Mooney’s penne is intended to have 2 cups of olive oil, that’s how she always made her pasta:) xT
Hi! I’m not a huge fan of sausage… can I substitute with ground meat? Thanks!
Hey Gileanne,
Sure, ground beef will also work well for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was lunch today with leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I made it with an italian vegetarian hash. It was delicious and just spicy enough! Will add to rotation! Would make great /easy ski lunch as well!
Hey Virginie,
Wonderful! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
I rarely comment, but I just made this tonight and had to say something. My husband doesn’t like tomato sauce really at all, but LOVED this sauce. He says I should just make this my base tomato sauce from now on, so thank you so much for this awesome garlicky pasta! The sausage was a bit too spicy for us and our kids, but it was a hit otherwise. Thinking I’ll make it into a bolognese and hubby thought in a cannelloni even. I love your recipes, so thanks again!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 xTieghan
OK this was so delicous, loved it! The ONLY thing was I found it a tad too salty, so I would skip the step that says “season with salt and pepper”. Other than that, this is a recipe that requires minimal effort, you just let it simmer on the stove for as long as you can, and it creates a delicious, rich, complex sauce.
Hey Breanne,
Awesome! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
This was ridiculously delicious.
I followed the recipe to the letter and ended up letting it simmer on the stove for about 6 hours. Although I worried about the amount of oil that seemed to be settling on the surface of the sauce, it came together just as Tieghan said, once I mixed with the penne.
Rich and flavourful and complex. My husband said it was like something out of a restaurant. Another amazing recipe 🙂
Hey Jennifer,
Fantastic! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, thanks so much for making it! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Made it tonight – delicious. Will double my red pepper flakes to 1/2 teaspoon next go and probably give it a try tossed with sautéed shrimp for the protein. Definitely a keeper
Hi Jim,
Happy Friday!!? I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT
I made this recipe in the slow cooker. I normally feel lukewarm about red sauces but when I got home from work I had to make myself stop dunking bread straight into my slow cooker. Waiting for the noodles to boil seemed to take foreverrrrr. I already can’t wait for leftovers. I will definitely make this again. Easy and delicious.
Hey Lindsey,
I am thrilled you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Tried this pasta tonight.. Was so worried about the oil (I skipped the sausage and made this vegetarian) and I’ve never been happier to be wrong. Served with warm garlic bread, this was an absolute hit. AMAZING recipe and sauce! Will be using it over and over again.
Hey Arnela,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it out! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
Made this tonight. Amazing!! I cooked it for a couple hours on the stove. Will definitely be making it again!
Hey Amanda,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan, I noticed that in your cookbook, you call for 2 cups of olive oil instead of one here. Which do you recommend? Thank you!!!!
Hey Melissa,
My family likes this both ways, if you like yours to have lots of oil use 2 cups. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other question. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
Sounds delicious! Do you cook the sausage in the sauce, it sounds like? You don’t brown beforehand? Thanks!
Hey Katie,
Yes, that is correct:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I truly have enjoyed all of your recipes. This week, I made Mrs. Mooney’s Penne recipe, according to the cookbook and the amount of Oliver oil was extraordinary. If I made this again I would the amount significantly.
Thanks for sharing your feedback Amy. This is how she intended the recipe to be:) xx