Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta
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Chicken sausage, pasta, and spinach are coated in a creamy tomato sauce for this easy 30 minute meal the entire family will love!
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I’m a pasta girl so this easy Chicken Sausage Pasta is high up on my list of favorite easy recipes. Using chicken sausage lightens the meal up a bit but it still has a ton of flavor and that creamy tomato sauce is amazing!!
Ingredients
Nothing too fancy here, you might even have everything on hand already!
- pasta (your choice of type, I prefer a heartier, thicker pasta like penne pasta for this dish)
- Italian chicken sausage
- olive oil
- garlic
- marinara sauce
- heavy cream
- spinach (fresh or frozen)
- red pepper flakes
- salt and ground black pepper
Step by step
- Cook pasta according to the package directions.
- Meanwhile, if you purchased raw chicken sausage, simmer it with a little water in a large skillet until cooked through, about ten minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and slice. Return to the pan and brown the sliced sausage.
- Add olive oil and garlic and cook one minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add marinara, spinach, heavy cream, and spices to the pan. Stir to mix.
- Simmer until spinach is cooked through.
- Toss with pasta and serve with Parmesan cheese.
Variations & substitutions
- add diced onions while browning the sausage
- switch up your vegetables: kale, peas, red peppers, or mixed vegetables are all good options
- use butter instead of olive oil when adding the garlic
- garnish with fresh basil or chopped parsley
- make it gluten free by using gluten-free pasta and ensuring the chicken sausage does not contain wheat
- add 1 teaspoon of dried oregano to amp up the flavor
This pasta dish is best served fresh but you can store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave.
If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!
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Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Description
Chicken sausage, pasta, and spinach are coated in a creamy tomato sauce for this easy 30 minute meal the entire family will love!
Ingredients
- 12 ounce pasta (thicker pasta such as penne)
- 5 links (16 ounce package) Italian chicken sausage
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 24 ounce can marinara sauce
- 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups frozen spinach (3 cups if raw fresh spinach)
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large skillet, add a cup of water and simmer sausages over medium high heat until cooked through.
- Remove sausages from pan and slice into rounds. Return to pan and cook 4-5 minute to brown.
- Add olive oil and garlic to pan and cook one minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add marinara, heavy cream, spinach, and red pepper. Stir to mix.
- Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to medium. Simmer until spinach is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- if using precooked sausage skip step 2
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: pasta
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 7.4 g
- Sodium: 721.7 mg
- Fat: 13.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 4.1 g
- Protein: 16.9 g
- Cholesterol: 47.7 mg
Loved it, thanks for always having such great, easy recipes!