Chorizo Cream Sauce Pasta

About This Spicy Chorizo Pasta Recipe

Our creamy chorizo pasta sauce owes literally all of its flavors to the robust spices and earthy herbs of Mexican chorizo sausage (chorizo fresco). The heavy cream in the recipe acts as a smooth, stable medium for the ground meat to literally melt into and infuse with flavor - the two lovingly imbibe each other.

You will need only a short time to make the sauce, about as long as it takes for your pasta to cook. Even better, you will expand almost no effort - yet it will taste as if you spent a while carefully layering flavors to achieve the rich spiciness, full-bodied flavor and creamy texture.

Ingredients You Will Need for Chorizo Sauce

Mexican chorizo sausage. Typically made with pork, but beef, venison, chicken, turkey and vegetarian versions exist as well. This type of sausage is not chopped and cured like its Spanish and Portuguese counterparts, rather once the meat is ground and blended with herbs, spices, garlic and vinegar, it is stuffed into casings and sold raw. Hence the classification of fresco (fresh/uncooked). While Mexican chorizo is well-know for being on the spicy hot side, it is never overwhelmingly picante. 

Heavy cream. Do not try to make this sauce with regular cream or half and half. The fat content of heavy cream is what guarantees that this sauce will not break and can be reheated successfully. 

Non-stick pan. It is essential that you use one because to brown the chorizo you will not be using any oil (it already has a generous amount of fat mixed into it). A reliable non-stick surface helps a lot.

Lime and cilantro. Both are optional, but a squeeze of lime's mild acidity and a bit of fresh herb essence complement the richness of the sauce with their bright notes. 

TIP: To make a vegetarian chorizo pasta you can buy tofu chorizo to prepare the cream sauce. 

Make the Chorizo Cream Sauce: Step-by-Step 

Brown. Heat the non-stick pan over medium and add the chorizo. Break it up into small pieces with the help of a spoon or spatula. Let it brown for a few minutes. If any excess fat is rendered feel free to scoop it out with a small spoon. 

Simmer. Add the heavy cream to the browned chorizo and stir to combine. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce has thickened a bit and the chorizo has nearly dissolved into the cream.

Serve. Before you toss pasta in the sauce or drizzle it over other food of your choice, give it a taste to determine if it needs any extra seasoning. It might call for some extra salt (due to the sweetness of the heavy cream) or heat. 

Serve Mexican Chorizo Cream Sauce with Pasta, Chicken, Fish and Seafood

• Pasta. The wider the noodles the better - to maximize the flavor of every bite you need the larger surface of flatter noodles or short cut pasta such as penne. A sprinkle of Mexican dried oregano is a nice touch when serving the sauce with pasta.
• Spaghetti squash or 'zoodles'. A low carb alternative to pasta and every bit as delicious. 
• Fish. Baked fish fillets such as cod welcome the richness of this sauce. 
• Seafood. Seared scallops or sauted shrimp (peeled, tails off) both partner really well with creamy chorizo sauce.
• Avocado. Thinly sliced avocado with a drizzle of this sauce and a squeeze of lime is a divine snack, served with some tortilla chips for scooping or applied as an off the beaten path taco filling.
• Chicken. Pan-seared or grilled chicken breast smothered with creamy chorizo sauce is one of our favorite ways to enjoy the otherwise dry meat. 

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

Lemon Cream Sauce | Shrimp Cream Sauce | Fried Pasta Primavera | Creamy Schinkennudeln