After a long day of work, school, and sports practices, one of our family’s most requested quick dinners is this chicken sausage and pasta recipe. It’s easy to prep in 5 minutes with mainly pantry staple ingredients. We always have the pre-cooked Italian chicken sausages in our fridge or freezer at home. They’re the best quick cooking protein because all you have to do is slice and sear.
When it comes to choosing the sauce, a high-quality store-bought marinara sauce is perfect. We sneak in some spinach for added veggies for our kids. It’s truly one of the most flavorful no-stress dinner recipes made with a pasta pot and a single skillet. If you love a pasta recipe, we also recommend trying our easy baked ziti with sausage or one skillet mac and cheese.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 7 ingredient pasta recipe. This is a chicken sausage and pasta is quick to cook for any night of the week, but rich and comforting in flavor.
- Family favorite dinner recipe. Even the pickiest of eaters will love this chicken sausage pasta.
- Quick to customize with the ingredients you already have at home. It’s easy to swap any veggies or other proteins you have in the fridge.
Tips for Busy Cooks
When buying chicken sausage, look for the pre-cooked sausage rather than the loose raw sausage in the butcher’s case. We love this kind of sausage for this pasta recipe since it’s easy to slice and cook quickly.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Short pasta – It’s best to use a shape like rigatoni, penne, or fusilli for easy eating and coating in the sauce.
- Pre-cooked Italian-style chicken sausage – We always like to have some of this chicken sausage in the fridge for freezer for a quick weeknight meal.
- Olive oil – The cooking fat for the pasta.
- Marinara sauce – Use your favorite store-bought sauce.
- Baby spinach – We love to sneak in the spinach for our kids as an added veggie.
- Garlic paste – This makes it easy to add fresh garlic flavor without chopping.
- Heavy cream – Adds rich and creamy flavor to the pasta sauce.
- Parmesan cheese – Gives a nice cheesy quality to the pasta recipe.
How to make chicken sausage and pasta recipe
Step 1: Cook pasta al dente according to the package directions. Once cooked, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain.
Step 2: Cut the chicken sausage into bite-size pieces.
Step 3: In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Add marinara sauce and garlic and heat for a minute.
Step 5: Reduce the heat to medium and add the heavy cream.
Step 6: Bring it to a slow simmer.
Step 7: Add the spinach, cooked pasta and parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
Step 8: If needed, add reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce. Enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- Cook the pasta to al dente. This is crucial to a delicious chicken sausage and pasta recipe, follow the instructions on the box and try not to cook a minute longer or your noodles can become mushy!
- Reserve some starchy pasta cooking water. We always like to save more water than less, about 1 cup. We use this water to mix everything together at the end to help make the creamiest sauce.
- Brown the chicken sausage in the skillet first for added flavor. This is a pro chef technique. By cooking the sausage first, you create browned bits on the bottom of the pan. When these browned bits are loosed with the marinara sauce and pasta water, they add rich and decadent flavor to every bite.
- Add other vegetables to the pasta recipe. We also love to add chopped peppers, small broccoli florets, or even other greens like kale or Swiss chard.
Storing Tip
Store any leftover chicken sausage and pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop until just warmed through. Add a splash of water to thin out the sauce to the right consistency.
We don’t recommend freezing the pasta as it will change the texture of the pasta.
FAQs
Our favorite combination is using marinara sauce with pasta.
We love to add other vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli florets, or other greens like Swiss chard or kale.
Yes, you can make the sauce creamy with ricotta or heavy cream. Just add a splash is all you need.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Chicken Sausage and Pasta Recipe (20 minutes)
Ingredients
- 12 oz short pasta
- 16 oz pre-cooked Italian-style chicken sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 oz marinara sauce
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 2 teaspoons garlic paste
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup parmesan cheese more for serving, if desired
Instructions
- Cook pasta al dante according to the package directions. Once cooked, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain.
- Cut the chicken sausage into bite-size pieces.
- In a large (12-inch) skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and add sausage. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add marinara sauce and garlic and heat for a minute.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the heavy cream. Bring it to a slow simmer.
- Add the spinach, cooked pasta and parmesan cheese and stir to combine. If needed, add reserved pasta water to thin out the sauce.
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Notes
Store any leftover chicken sausage and pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or stovetop until just warmed through. Add a splash of water to thin out the sauce to the right consistency.
– We don’t recommend freezing the pasta as it will change the texture of the pasta. Additional Tips:
– Cook the pasta to al dente. This is crucial to a delicious chicken sausage and pasta recipe. Follow the instructions on the box, and try not to cook a minute longer, or your noodles can become mushy!
– Reserve some starchy pasta cooking water. We always like to save more water than less, about 1 cup. We use this water to mix everything together at the end, which helps make the creamiest sauce.
– Brown the chicken sausage in the skillet first for added flavor. This is a pro chef technique. By cooking the sausage first, you create browned bits on the bottom of the pan. When these browned bits are loosened with the marinara sauce and pasta water, they add rich and decadent flavor to every bite.
– Add other vegetables to the pasta recipe. We also love to add chopped peppers, small broccoli florets, or even other greens like kale or Swiss chard.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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