Easy Sausage Pasta

This Easy Sausage Pasta is one of my go to busy night dinner recipes. With just a handful of simple ingredients, this easy sausage pasta can be on the table in no time. This is a great recipe to keep on hand for those nights when you might not have planned ahead. If you wondering what to make for dinner, put this Easy Sausage Pasta on the menu tonight!

I adapted this recipe from my dear friend Mary Younkin’s cookbook, The Weekday Lunches & Breakfast Cookbook. Mary, who runs the website Barefeet In The Kitchen, can always be depended on for great recipes, and this is no exception. With a few modifications (which in my house means omitting ingredients) my picky eaters absolutely gobble this Easy Sausage Pasta right up. While this may not be the most photogenic meal, I promise you it’s ridiculously delicious!

EASY SAUSAGE PASTA

What ingredients do you need to make sausage pasta? For this recipe, not a whole lot! Here’s what you’ll need to whip this up for dinner.

• Pasta such as penne, mini farfalle or rotini
• Sausage – I use Jimmy Dean Regular Pork Sausage (yes, breakfast sausage)
• Heavy Cream
• Optional – cajun spices, garlic, stewed tomatoes, green bell pepper

My kids, and to some extent myself, tend to prefer our foods fairly simple when it comes to ingredients. We find this sausage pasta recipe absolutely delicious with minimal ingredients. That said, you can easily add cajun spices to kick up the heat more, garlic for another layer of flavor and stewed tomatoes or green bell peppers. If your family enjoys those flavors, by all means, add them in! But I guarantee you will still have a delicious, flavor packed meal without them.

How do you make sausage pasta?

This truly is EASY sausage pasta! There are only a few simple steps to make this recipe.

• Cook pasta
• Cook sausage
• Cook sauce
• Combine all ingredients

The sauce for this recipe is not really a thick cream sauce, it more just nicely coats the pasta. If however you would like yours a bit creamier, feel free to add an additional 1/2 cup+ of heavy cream. Let’s make some Easy Sausage Pasta!

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Easy Sausage Pasta

This delicious Easy Sausage Pasta recipe is made with just a few simple ingredients and comes together in no time. A great weeknight dinner recipe. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword pasta, Sausage

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 607 kcal

Author Christi Johnstone

Ingredients

• 8 oz penne pasta
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 pound sausage Jimmy Dean regular pork sausage recommended
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Instructions

1. Add 2 tsp salt to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions for al dente pasta.
2. In a separate large pan over medium-high heat, cook sausage throughly. If adding garlic or green chopped green peppers, they can be added with sausage at this time.
3. Prior to draining pasta, scoop out approximately 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
4. Once sausage is completely cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate.
5. Return the hot skillet to the stovetop, still on medium-high heat, and pour 1/2 cup of pasta water into pan to deglaze the hot pan. Use a spatula to really scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan so that they combine with the pasta water. Reduce heat to medium and add in heavy cream. If using additional ingredients, they can be added at this time. Reduce heat to medium and let sauce simmer for 3-5 minutes to thicken. Keep a close eye on it and stir often to avoid burning.
6. Once sauce has thickened, drained pasta can be added to the sauce. Stir well to combine and evenly coat the pasta. Add in sausage and stir well to combine.
7. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

If desired, ingredients such as 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 cup chopped green pepper, 1-2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes (drained and chopped) can be added to dish this. This is a very flexible recipe, so feel free to make it your own! 

Nutrition Facts

Easy Sausage Pasta

Amount Per Serving

Calories 607 Calories from Fat 414

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 46g 71%

Saturated Fat 22g 110%

Cholesterol 138mg 46%

Sodium 1352mg 56%

Potassium 320mg 9%

Total Carbohydrates 30g 10%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Sugars 1g

Protein 16g 32%

Vitamin A 17.5%

Vitamin C 2.3%

Calcium 6%

Iron 7.7%

* Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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I hope your family enjoys this EASY SAUSAGE PASTA recipe as much as mine does!