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.
If you love this recipe, then don’t miss my easy Biscuits and Sausage Gravy recipe, Breakfast Sliders and my Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole, which also uses breakfast sausage. I think you’ll also enjoy my Pizza Casserole, which combines pasta, sausage and pepperoni all in one easy dish!
Easy Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 pound sausage Jimmy Dean regular pork sausage recommended
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Instructions
- 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.
- 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.
- Prior to draining pasta, scoop out approximately 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Once sausage is completely cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate.
- 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.
- 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.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
CLICK TO PIN THIS RECIPE TO SAVE
I hope your family enjoys this EASY SAUSAGE PASTA recipe as much as mine does!
Elizabeth says
Sounds great! I also do not have the heavy cream. Could I use cream of mushroom soup instead?
Elizabeth says
I added some Smoked Gouda cheese to it, with a touch of smoked paprika and it was perfect!
M.Reed says
Good stuff added cajun spices and season blend to meat so this is definitely a go.
Gail says
Good stuff!! Husband asked that it be part of the regular rotation….so it’s good. Added the garlic, peppers, and kale 🥬. Yum!
Alyssa Wilson says
Don’t have but Can I use milk or mayo instead of heavy cream?
Christi Johnstone says
Going to have to say no to both of those. Milk will not thicken up like a sauce, and mayo just, well, would not taste good. The only alternative I can think of would be possibly using cream cheese. But given this is basically a three ingredient recipe, it’s pretty important to use the ingredients that are called for.
Victoria says
Awesome! So easy and delicious! Will definitely make again!
Linda Lee Hall says
Basically followed the recipe using what I had; maple sausage, leftover german noodles, chopped onions and finely chopped spinach and kale. Sprinkled fresh shaved parmesan on top. This is a great “base” recipe and could go in so many directions. This is a keeper recipe. Thank you!
Liz says
Added a little mozzarella and this was absolutely amazing. Will make again
Kristin says
Amazing!!
Andrew says
I made this. It came out excellent. Will make again
Christi Johnstone says
Thanks, Andrew. It really is one of my favorite quick meals to make.