Creamy Sausage Pasta (One Pot, Quick, Decadent!)
Creamy Sausage Pasta is an easy one-pot dinner that’s quick to make with sweet Italian sausage, pasta, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and baby spinach in a creamy sauce kissed with white wine!
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Today's shiny, new, one-pot dinner recipe falls into my favorite category of "quick and easy!" But this Creamy Sausage Pasta also happens to be special enough for company.
It's robustly flavored, with sweet Italian sausage, fresh garlic, bold sun-dried tomatoes, and a touch of white wine.
It's decadent, thanks to silky half-and-half and savory Parmesan.
And hey, it's also got baby spinach to redeem itself with something green! 😉
Ingredients
So what do you need to whip up a delectable dinner of Creamy Sausage Pasta?
- Sweet Italian sausage. I typically buy bulk ground Italian sausage (sold in a 1-pound package). However, if you buy raw Italian sausage in casings, you’ll need to remove the casings first. If you prefer, you may substitute hot Italian sausage for the sweet, or use half sweet and half hot Italian sausage in this recipe.
- Fresh garlic. Minced.
- Crushed red pepper flakes. For a touch of heat.
- All-purpose flour. To thicken the sauce. (And if you're making this recipe gluten-free with gluten-free pasta, you may use a gluten-free flour blend in place of all-purpose.)
- Chicken broth or stock. I prefer using low-sodium to give me more control over the ultimate saltiness of the dish, particularly since Italian sausage can be pretty salty.
- Half-and-half. To make the sauce creamy. You could substitute whole milk for a lighter sauce, or heavy cream for the most decadent sauce.
- Dry white wine. I like to keep mini bottles of white wine in my pantry to use in recipes when I don’t already have a bottle of wine open (or I don't want to open a whole new bottle). That being said, if you prefer to omit the white wine, simply add an extra ½ cup chicken broth in its place.
- Tomato paste. Just a spoonful lends depth of flavor.
- Dried basil. Or if you have fresh, you can substitute 1 tablespoon fresh diced basil for the 1 teaspoon dried (since dried herbs are three times more potent than fresh).
- Dry bowtie pasta. Another type of short pasta -- such as penne, fusili, or rigatoni -- may be substituted for the bowtie (farfalle). Just be sure to cook any pasta shape until it’s al dente.
- Freshly grated Parmesan. Plus additional for garnish.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. Drained and chopped. I typically just look at the size of the jar and estimate 4 ounces of sun-dried tomatoes based on that (for example, half of an 8-ounce jar).
- Baby spinach. It may look like a lot, but it will melt right down into the pasta.
- Salt + freshly ground black pepper. To taste. Italian sausage can be pretty salty, so I like to wait until my Creamy Sausage Pasta is finished to stir in salt, but only if needed.
How to Make Creamy Sausage Pasta
(The below photos are intended to be helpful, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for FULL DIRECTIONS.)
This simple recipe can be on the table in about 30 minutes!
- Brown the Italian sausage until it's fully cooked and no longer pink, breaking it up and stirring frequently. (I typically like to use a meat chopper tool when browning sausage to break it down into small pieces.) Drain the fat.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute or so until fragrant.
- Thoroughly mix in the flour and cook, while stirring continuously, for another minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, half-and-half, white wine, tomato paste, dried basil, and pasta. Bring to a boil, stir well, and reduce to a simmer (making sure that all of the pasta is submerged in liquid).
- Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for 13 to 15 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and the liquid is mostly absorbed.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in the Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and baby spinach. Allow to cook for another couple minutes until the spinach is wilted.
- Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
And remember that you can stir in an extra splash of broth or half-and-half if, at any point, too much liquid gets absorbed!
Modifications + Storage
Feel free to change up this recipe to your liking!
❤︎ Sauté some diced onions and/or mushrooms in the pot before browning the Italian sausage.
❤︎ You may add more or less sun-dried tomatoes and/or spinach (or omit either completely).
❤︎ Other possible additions or substitutions could include a jar of drained and chopped roasted red peppers or chopped Kalamata olives.
Leftover Creamy Sausage Pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for three to four days.
Reheat in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, or in a bowl in the microwave.
Either way, stir in a splash of broth/milk/half-and-half, since much of the sauce will have gotten absorbed into the pasta while chilling.
A Lighter Version of Creamy Sausage Pasta
If you'd like to make this recipe yet lighten it up a bit, you can easily substitute lean ground beef or turkey in place of the Italian sausage. You can also swap your favorite type of milk for the half-and-half.
You can even increase the amount of baby spinach you add or incorporate other veggies if you like!
Just keep in mind that you will likely need to boost the seasonings in your Creamy Sausage Pasta if you don't start with flavor-packed Italian sausage.
And your final dish will be obviously less creamy and decadent than the original! 😉
So if you've got a hankering for a scrumptious, indulgent dinner that also happens to be quick and easy to whip up in one pot on the stove on a busy weeknight, this Creamy Sausage Pasta is for you!
Hope y'all enjoy. 🙂
More One-Pot Pasta Dinners
Creamy Sausage Pasta (One Pot, Quick, Decadent!)
Video
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth or stock, OR vegetable broth
- 1 cup half-and-half
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 8 ounces farfalle (bow tie pasta)
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus additional for serving
- 4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 cups baby spinach
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan or pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until meat is fully cooked and no longer pink, breaking it up and stirring frequently. Drain fat.
- Add garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute over medium-low heat until fragrant.
- Thoroughly stir in flour and cook, while stirring continuously, for another minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, half-and-half, white wine, tomato paste, dried basil, and pasta. Bring to a boil, stir well, and reduce to a simmer (making sure that all of the pasta is submerged in liquid). Cover and cook, stirring frequently, for 13 to 15 minutes or until pasta is al dente and liquid is mostly absorbed. If the liquid is absorbed before the pasta is tender, stir in an extra splash or broth or half-and-half.
- Reduce heat to low and stir in Parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and baby spinach. Allow to cook for another couple minutes until the spinach is wilted. Adjust the seasonings, adding salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- I typically buy bulk ground Italian sausage (sold in a 1-pound package). However, if you buy raw Italian sausage in casings, you’ll need to remove the casings first.
- If you prefer, you may substitute hot Italian sausage for the sweet, or use half sweet and half hot Italian sausage in this recipe.
- Italian sausage can be pretty salty, so I like to wait until the recipe is finished to stir in salt to taste, if needed.
- When browning ground Italian sausage, I like to use a meat masher/chopper tool to break down the sausage into small pieces.
- Feel free to reduce or omit the crushed red pepper flakes if you don’t care for any heat. If you use hot Italian sausage, you’ll probably want to eliminate the red pepper flakes altogether.
- For a more decadent sauce, you may swap the half-and-half for heavy cream.
- I like to keep mini, screw top bottles of white wine in my pantry to use in recipes when I don’t want to open a whole new bottle of wine.
- If you’d prefer to omit the white wine, simply add an extra ½ cup chicken broth in its place.
- You can stir in an extra splash of broth or half-and-half if, at any point, too much liquid gets absorbed.
- Penne or rigatoni may be substituted for the farfalle…just be sure to cook any pasta shape until it’s al dente.
- I typically just look at the size of the jar and estimate 4 ounces of sun-dried tomatoes based on that (for example, half of an 8-ounce jar).
- You can change up this recipe to your liking. You may add more or less sun-dried tomatoes and/or spinach. Other possible additions or substitutions could include a jar of drained and chopped roasted red peppers or chopped Kalamata olives.
