Chorizo Pasta

This chorizo pasta is a comfort food staple in Spain and for good reason. Smoky chorizo, sweet roasted red peppers, and tangy manchego cheese makes a rich and flavorful sauce in under 40 minutes!

Spanish chorizo, with its vibrant orange hue and wonderfully smoky flavor, provides the backbone for this rustic weeknight pasta. Roasted red peppers and spinach give the dish a boost of nutrition, while a splash of sherry vinegar at the end adds refreshing complexity.

While spinach isn’t traditional in Spanish chorizo pasta, I love how it cuts through the richness of the dish, adds a pop of color, and sneaks in some leafy greens. (For a more authentic version, simply leave the spinach out.) This easy recipe is great for a weeknight dinner, it’s also impressive enough to serve at a dinner party. Round out the meal with Pan Con Tomate and a pitcher of Red Sangria!

Ingredients and Substitutions 

The ingredients for this Spanish-style pasta are surprisingly easy to find at most any grocery store: 

• Short pasta: I find the smaller shapes with hollows or ridges, like orecchiette or penne, easily catch the chorizo, vegetables, and sauce.
• Spanish olive oil: I recommend seeking out a high quality Spanish olive oil, such as our Hojiblanca Spanish EVOO. Its peppery flavor really makes the chorizo shine.
• Spanish chorizo: A cured pork sausage that’s heavily seasoned with smoked paprika and garlic.
  • Make sure to use Spanish chorizo! Mexican chorizo is a fresh, uncooked sausage seasoned with peppers, herbs, and vinegar that must be cooked before eating. They’re not interchangeable, as each has a very distinct flavor and texture.
• Yellow onion: Substitute with white onion or shallot. 
• Garlic: If you’re sensitive to garlic, reduce the amount or skip it entirely. The chorizo has garlic so you’ll still get that authentic Spanish flavor.
• Double-concentrated tomato paste: Packs an even greater savory wallop than standard tomato paste. If you can’t find it, simply add double the amount of standard tomato paste.
• Jarred roasted red peppers: A weeknight cook’s best friend, these pack huge flavor for little effort. If you have the time, you can also make homemade roasted peppers. 
• Mature spinach: Holds it shape better than baby spinach and has a richer, more defined flavor. Other quick-cooking greens, such as Swiss chard or kale, could also work here. 
• Sherry vinegar: Bracingly acidic, sherry vinegar counterbalances the richness of the chorizo and pasta. 
• Kosher salt and black pepper: Adds a little pop to the flavor.
• Manchego: Sheep’s milk cheese traditionally made in the La Mancha region of Spain. It has a nutty, grassy flavor and imparts a rich creaminess without making the pasta too heavy. Avoiding dairy? Simply skip the manchego cheese.

How to Make this Chorizo Pasta Recipe

This Spanish Chorizo Pasta recipe is easy: the flavor-packed chorizo does most of the work for you! Here are the steps:

• Get ready.  Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Remove the casings on 4 ounces of Spanish chorizo, then thinly slice. Chop 1 small yellow onion and mince 2 garlic cloves. Drain 1 (6 ounce) jar of roasted red peppers and slice into thin strips (or use a homemade roasted red pepper). Coarsely chop 10 ounces of mature spinach. 
• Cook the pasta: Add 8 ounces of short pasta to the boiling water and cook until just al dente according to the package. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. 
• Meanwhile, cook the chorizo, onion, and garlic. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the chorizo, onion, and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, until the chorizo has rendered some of its orange fat and the onion is softened, 5-6 minutes. Season with a hefty pinch of salt.
• Add the tomato paste and peppers: Carefully stir in 2 tablespoons tomato paste and the sliced peppers. Saute, stirring frequently, until tomato paste begins to brown, 2-3 minutes.
• Wilt the spinach: Spread the spinach on top of the red pepper mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Drizzle 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water over the pasta and stir until the pasta is thoroughly coated and the spinach is wilted. Add more pasta water, a splash at a time, if needed to create a glossy sauce.
• Season and serve: Add 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste, tossing once more to combine. Divide the chorizo pasta between serving bowls and garnish with shavings of manchego cheese, if you’d like. Enjoy!

What to Serve with Spanish Chorizo Pasta

Chorizo pasta is a hearty meal on its own, but if you’d like to round it out with a first course, opt for light, zippy, and fresh: a peppery Radicchio Salad would be a lovely complement to the richness of the pasta. And don’t forget to whip up some Red Sangria to sip on while you cook! Give this Spanish fiesta a grande finale with Churros con Chocolate for dessert.

More Spanish Chorizo Recipes

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Spanish Migas

Soups and Stews

Mussels with Chorizo in a Fragrant Saffron Stew

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Spicy Shrimp Couscous with Spanish Chorizo

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Skillet Shrimp Recipe with Chorizo and Squash

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4.94 from 15 votes

Spanish-Style Chorizo Pasta

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Sara May

This easy recipe packs the flavor of an all-day pasta sauce but cooks in just 20 minutes with the help of a few pantry staples! Jarred roasted peppers bring bursts of sweetness, double concentrated tomato paste adds that slow-simmered feeling, and a touch of sherry vinegar lends balance. Be sure to seek out Spanish chorizo.

Prep – 15 minutes mins

Cook – 20 minutes mins

Total – 35 minutes mins

Cuisine:

Spanish

Serves – 4

Course:

Entree

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 8 ounces short pasta, such as orecchiette or ounces short pasta, such as orecchiette or penne
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 4 ounces Spanish chorizo, casing removed and thinly sliced (see note)
• ▢ 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
• ▢ Kosher salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons double-concentrated tomato paste
• ▢ 6 ounces jarred roasted red peppers (or 1 large freshly roasted bell pepper), sliced into thin strips
• ▢ 10 ounces mature spinach (not baby spinach; see note), coarsely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• ▢ Freshly cracked black pepper
• ▢ 2 ounces manchego cheese (optional), shaved into thin slices using a vegetable peeler

Instructions

 

• Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the pasta and cook until just al dente according to the package. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
• Meanwhile, cook the chorizo, onion, and garlic. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the chorizo, onion, and garlic. Saute, stirring frequently, until the chorizo has rendered some of its orange fat and the onion is softened, 5-6 minutes. Season with a hefty pinch of salt.
• Add the tomato paste and peppers: Carefully stir in the tomato paste and peppers. Saute, stirring frequently, until tomato paste begins to brown, 2-3 minutes.
• Wilt the spinach: Spread the spinach on top of the red pepper mixture, followed by the cooked pasta. Drizzle 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water over the pasta and stir until the pasta is thoroughly coated and the spinach is wilted. Add more pasta water, a splash at a time, if needed to create a glossy sauce.
• Season and serve: Add the sherry vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste, tossing once more to combine. Divide the chorizo pasta between serving bowls and garnish with shavings of manchego cheese, if using. Enjoy!

Notes

• Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil used in this recipe.
• Mature spinach: Baby spinach will loose its shape, but feel free to substitute the spinach for another sturdy green like Swiss chard or kale.
• Notes on Spanish chorizo:
  • Do not substitute with Mexican chorizo, as the flavor and texture will not adapt well to this recipe.
  • While the casing on most Spanish chorizos is technically edible, it can be hard and not very appetizing. To remove, make a small cut at the top of the sausage with a knife and carefully peel the casing off from there. Some specialty retailers also sell pre-sliced Spanish chorizo with the casing removed.
• For a spicier version: Stir in 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes along with the cooked pasta and wilted spinach.

Nutrition

Calories: 397.8kcalCarbohydrates: 51.2gProtein: 15.2gSaturated Fat: 5.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 5.2gCholesterol: 19.6mgSodium: 792.7mgPotassium: 712.8mgFiber: 4.7gVitamin A: 7092.9IUVitamin C: 44mgCalcium: 263.4mgIron: 3.5mg

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