Creamy Sausage Pasta
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Savory and delicious, this creamy Italian sausage pasta recipe is made quick, easy and so tasty! Perfect for busy nights, this dish is full of delicious sausage, tender pasta and spinach all tossed in a creamy, smooth parmesan sauce that is just as smooth and creamy as your favorite Italian restaurant.
Table of Contents
Why We Love This Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe
- Ready In 30 Minutes– This is a quick and easy pasta dish that is perfect for busy weeknights, and makes a complete meal on its own.
- Creamy Cheesy Sauce– The creamy parmesan sauce flavored with sausage comes together quickly, and is my favorite part of this dish. I often make a similar chicken penne alfredo because my family loves the creamy sauce so much!
- Cozy Dinner– Pasta is always a cozy dinner that is comforting, kid friendly, and will leave your whole family with full bellies.
Love one pot dinners? Try the one pot chicken parmesan pasta or the one-pot bruschetta chicken pasta.
Ingredients For Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
- 16 ounces penne pasta set aside 1/2 cup pasta water after cooking
- 1 tablespoon butter – you can also use olive oil
- 1/2 onion chopped small, about 1/2 cup
- 1 pound Italian sausage remove casing if using links, but you can also use ground sausage or spicy Italian sausage.
- 1 tablespoons minced garlic or 3-4 cloves minced finely
- 2 teaspoons flour
- ½ cup chicken broth low sodium
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cups chopped spinach fresh
This pasta should be made in a deep skillet with high sides that is often called a sautee pan, or can even be made in more of a short stock pot or dutch oven. If your largest skillet does not have deep enough sides you can start in a regular skillet. Then when it’s time to combine the sausage, sauce and pasta combine in another large bowl. You could also make this dish in a large dutch oven.
How To Make Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water in a medium sized pot according to the package directions until al dente according to package instructions. (Usually about 9 minutes.) Strain and set aside when finished cooking, keeping ¼ cup of the starchy water the pasta cooked in.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft about 2-3 minutes.
- Place the sausage in the skillet, removing the casing if using links. Cook the sausage with the vegetables until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the flour to the sausage, sprinkling it evenly. Cook for about 30 seconds over medium high heat then turn the heat to medium-low. Add the chicken broth, Italian seasoning and pepper. Stir the mixture well to deglaze the pan.
- Turn the pot to low. Pour the pasta water into the pan, followed by the heavy cream. Slowly bring the mixture to a gentle simmer until you reach medium high heat, then reduce the heat until the sauce is just simmering. Simmer the sauce for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce a little at a time, stirring well until it is fully mixed into the sauce. Combine the sauce with the cooked pasta and stir well until the pasta is fully covered.
- Add the chopped spinach and stir for about a minute until it wilts while the pasta is still hot, then serve and enjoy!
Tips For Mixing The Sauce With The Pasta
If your skillet isn’t a deep, large pan you may have to transfer the pasta and sauce to a large bowl to mix. This is totally ok! Just add the spinach while the sauce is still piping hot so the spinach wilts a little in the dish and enjoy!
If you waited a little longer and you feel the pasta and sauce has cooled too much before adding the spinach, you can cook the spinach just enough to cook it in a skillet before adding it to the pasta to make sure it wilts.
Variation Ideas
Change The Protein- Cooked chicken, shrimp or steak are all also delicious when swapped for sausage in this pasta. Spicy sausage can also be swapped in this recipe.
Make It Vegetarian– Meatless sausage can also be swapped, or the sausage can be left out altogether for just a parmesan cream sauce on the pasta.
Swap The Type Of Pasta– There are so many noodle options to choose from! Any kind of pasta that is a short pasta will work easily in this recipe. Ziti, bowties or fusilli are some of my favorite options as they hold the sauce well.
Have rigatoni and like a red sauce? Try making this sausage and pasta in a red sauce in this Rigatoni al Forno recipe.
Alternative noodles such as chickpea or lentil pasta can be swapped cup for cup in this recipe, but know that they do tend to fall apart a little more easily if stored for leftovers in the sauce.
Swap The Spinach– Some leafy greens such as kale or chard can be swapped for the spinach in this recipe.
Add Vegetables– You can easily add vegetables to this dish but they will need to be cooked before adding them to the dish. I prefer to sautee or steam vegetables in a second pan so they don’t make the sauce watery, and add them at the end. Zucchini, bell peppers, onion, broccoli, peas or asparagus are all great options to add.
Top With Red Pepper Flakes– Cracked red pepper not only adds a little bit of zestiness, it also helps cut through the rich creaminess. This can be added at the table to your plate, or in the whole dish if everyone enjoying prefers a little more kick.
Frequently Asked Questions About This Creamy Sausage Pasta Recipe
Store any leftovers from this creamy sausage pasta in an airtight container for up to three days. It’s a really easy recipe to make a delicious meal for the next day, the leftovers are delicious and still have incredible flavor the next day.
Leftovers unfortunately won’t freeze well, the sauce tends to separate and not have the same consistency when frozen.
You can use frozen spinach, but will need to heat it up in a separate skillet to remove the excess water from it before adding it to the pasta. Frozen spinach will not warm up enough adding it straight to the pasta, and the excess water in frozen spinach can make the pasta sauce too runny.
You can also microwave the spinach in a bowl to defrost and warm it up. You will need to drain off the excess water. I recommend drying the spinach also well with paper towels so the cheese sauce does not become too runny.
Creamy Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces penne pasta set aside 1/2 cup pasta water after cooking
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 onion chopped small, about 1/2 cup
- 1 pound Italian sausage remove casing if using links
- 1 tablespoons minced garlic or 3-4 cloves minced finely
- 2 teaspoons flour
- ½ cup chicken broth low sodium
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cups spinach chopped, fresh
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted boiling water in a medium sized pot according to the package directions until al dente according to package instructions. (Usually about 9 minutes.) Strain and set aside when finished cooking, keeping ¼ cup of the starchy water the pasta cooked in.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft about 2-3 minutes.
- Place the sausage in the skillet, removing the casing if using links. Cook the sausage with the vegetables until cooked through and no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes over medium high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the flour to the sausage, sprinkling it evenly. Cook for about 30 seconds over medium high heat then turn the heat to medium-low. Add the chicken broth, Italian seasoning and pepper. Stir the mixture well to deglaze the pan.
- Turn the pot to low. Pour the pasta water into the pan, followed by the heavy cream. Slowly bring the mixture to a gentle simmer until you reach medium high heat, then reduce the heat until the sauce is just simmering. Simmer the sauce for about 4-6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the parmesan cheese to the sauce a little at a time, stirring well until it is fully mixed into the sauce. Combine the sauce with the cooked pasta and stir well until the pasta is fully covered. (see notes)
- Add the chopped spinach and stir for about a minute until it wilts while the pasta is still hot, then serve and enjoy!
Notes
Tips For Mixing The Sauce With The Pasta
If your skillet isn’t a deep, large pan you may have to transfer the pasta and sauce to a large bowl to mix. This is totally ok! Just add the spinach while the sauce is still piping hot so the spinach wilts a little in the dish and enjoy! If you waited too long and you feel the pasta and sauce has cooled too much before adding the spinach, you can cook the spinach just enough to cook it in a skillet before adding it to the pasta.Can I Use Frozen Spinach?
You can use frozen spinach, but will need to heat it up in a separate skillet to remove the excess water from it before adding it to the pasta. Frozen spinach will not warm up enough adding it straight to the pasta, and the excess water in frozen spinach can make the pasta sauce too runny. You can also microwave the spinach in a bowl to defrost and warm it up. You will need to drain off the excess water. I recommend drying the spinach also well with paper towels so the cheese sauce does not become too runny.Nutrition
Did You Make This?
I would love to see it! Share your thoughts with me in the comments below!
Super quick and easy for a busy week night. Tastes great! Will add to the dinner rotation.