Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

Name: Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb pasta – I used penne ((454g)); 1 tablespoon butter ((.5oz, 14g)); 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ((1.5oz, 42g)); 1 small onion (chopped fine); 4 cloves garlic (chopped fine or put through the garlic press); 1 lb sweet Italian sausage ((454g **see note**)); 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or a mix of dried basil, thyme, marjoram, and oregano); 1 bay leaf; 3/4 cup chicken broth ((6.2oz, 176g)); 1½ cups heavy cream ((12.6oz, 357g)); ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese ((3oz, 85g)); 8 ounces baby spinach ((227g)); salt and pepper to taste

Published: Mar 12, 2019 · Modified: May 9, 2024 by Kelly · This post may contain affiliate links · 66 Comments

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This Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta is so creamy and so full of flavor! Hot buttered pasta is tossed with Italian sausage and spinach in the creamiest, garlicky parmesan sauce. Pure comfort food on the table in under 30 minutes!

Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta - pasta with sausage and spinach in the creamiest, garlicky parmesan sauce. Pure comfort food on the table in under 30 minutes! #pasta #recipe #easy #quick #under30minutes #easydinner #easyrecipes #sausage #creamy #weeknight #datenight

Coming back at you today with another amazing pasta dish that’s quick and oh so easy. Two things we love around here are pasta (!) and a quick weeknight dinner. This Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta nails them both!

My family loves this Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta. I love how easy it is to make.

The flavor of the Italian sausage permeates the sauce after a short 10 minute simmer. The sauce is so creamy and has just the right amount of garlic and just the right amount of parmesan. Everything perfectly balanced. Baby spinach adds color and sneaks in some veggies. You have to try it to believe how good it is. This is one of those cases when the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

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How to make Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

A little onion and garlic are sautéed in olive oil until softened. Then Italian sausage is added – with the casings removed. If your sausage doesn’t have fennel in it, add a half teaspoon of crushed fennel seeds - the fennel is what really gives it amazing flavor.

When the sausage is brown, deglaze the pan with chicken broth. Add cream, bay leaf, and Italian seasoning and let it come to a simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and slowly add the parmesan cheese while whisking or stirring it in. Turning off the heat first is important. If you add the parmesan to a bubbling sauce and it gets too hot, too fast, it may seize and clump up – completely ruining the dish. You’ll end up with big clumps of cheese and spinach all stuck together. (I ate those clumps so you wouldn’t have to. 🙂 )

Stir in some baby spinach – you can leave it whole or roughly chop it, however you like.

Combine the sauce with the hot buttered pasta.

Serving

Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta is best served right after combining the sauce and the pasta. The sauce can be made ahead and gently reheated before tossing with the penne just before serving. If I cook this dish an hour or so in advance, I keep the hot, buttered pasta warm by wrapping it in a blanket and mix it with the sauce at the last minute.

Recipe

Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta

Kelly

5 from 19 votes

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 895 kcal

Ingredients

For the Pasta

1 lb pasta – I used penne (454g)
1 tablespoon butter (.5oz, 14g)

For the Sauce:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (1.5oz, 42g)
1 small onion chopped fine
4 cloves garlic chopped fine or put through the garlic press
1 lb sweet Italian sausage (454g **see note**)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or a mix of dried basil, thyme, marjoram, and oregano
1 bay leaf
¾ cup chicken broth (6.2oz, 176g)
1½ cups heavy cream (12.6oz, 357g)
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (3oz, 85g)
8 ounces baby spinach (227g)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Pasta:

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with butter.

For the Sauce:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion and garlic until it is soft and translucent.
Remove the sausage from casings and add to the pan. Cook until browned.
Deglaze pan with chicken broth.
Add Italian seasoning, bay leaf, and heavy cream. Let simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Off the heat, slowly stir in parmesan cheese and whisk or stir until melted.
Stir in baby spinach. Salt and pepper to taste.
Toss with hot buttered pasta and serve immediately.

Notes

**If your sausage doesn't contain fennel seed, toast ½ teaspoon fennel seeds in a pan until they become aromatic, then pound in a mortar and pestle and add to sausage.

Nutrition

Calories: 895kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 28gFat: 59gSaturated Fat: 27gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 23gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 141mgSodium: 947mgPotassium: 686mgFiber: 4gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 4593IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 230mgIron: 3mg

Keyword sausage pasta

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