One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta

This One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta is a weeknight dinner dream! Made with sun-dried tomatoes, baby spinach, garlic, and Italian sausage, this family friendly dinner comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Dirty dishes seem to be never-ending, especially lately, since we’re cooking so much more at home. This is why I thought it was imperative to get some more one-pot meals in my rotation. 

This dish has a little of everything (noodles, veggies, meat, cheese!) with a not too heavy sauce that will shock you because it’s basically just pasta water and cheese 🤷‍♀️ Can’t argue with that!

What’s in this One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta?

• spaghetti – This is the pasta of choice for this dish. I like using spaghetti for things other than spaghetti, cause why not?
• Italian sausage – If you can find the kind with the mozzarella cheese inside, those are perfect. The cheese melts out when everything is cooking but since we don’t drain the pasta, the cheese stays, all soaked into the pasta and sauce.
• sun-dried tomatoes – If you can find the kind in a bag that are just dried and not soaked in oil, that’s the way to go in my opinion. Less mess, less oil, and easy to chop.
• garlic – Mince it, and don’t skip it! I love garlic. Use as much as you want.
• olive oil – Helps keep the noodles from sticking together 🍝 
• sea salt – To season!
• water – To cook everything. The amount is specific and important!
• baby spinach – Addin’ some veggies cause they’re important too.
• parmesan cheese – Parmesan cheese helps form the final sauce in the dish. You need this!
• black pepper – Fresh ground black pepper is one of my favorite basic flavors and it helps give this dish some backbone!
• red chili pepper flakes – How about just a little spice? Add as much as you want for a little kick. 

How do you make pasta all in one dish?

The best thing about this meal is it’s made all in one dish. But how do you do that with pasta? Normally you need one pot just to boil the water!

The trick is to use just the right amount of water for cooking the pasta and everything else. The water will do three main things:

• evaporate during cooking
• soak into the pasta and other ingredients
• remain and become sauce at the end

How do you make this One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta?

Start by combining the first round of ingredients in a giant pot over high heat: the noodles, sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, salt, and water. Let that cook for 11-12 minutes while you stir occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking to itself.

After the first 11-12 minutes of cooking, the water in the pot should be reduced by about half. Next, add the spinach, and continue cooking.

The spinach should be completely wilted in about 3-4 minutes. At this point, almost all of the water should be reduced from the pot.

Remove the pot from heat and add the parmesan cheese, black pepper and chili pepper flakes. Stir until the cheese is melted and a thin sauce has formed from the remaining pasta water. Serve with additional parm and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!

What kind of sausage is best to use?

Any 10-12 ounce package of Italian sausage that you can easily slice will work for this recipe.

However, I specifically like the ones with the mozzarella cheese inside the sausages. The cheese will melt and look like it has disappeared during cooking. 

BUT, the cheese is still in the pot. And since we don’t drain any liquid off in this recipe, the cheese remains and helps flavor the pasta.

What are the benefits of one pot pasta?

One pot pasta dishes have some benefits that other pasta dishes just do not have! These include less dishes to clean, and less pots to watch on the stove.

Normally when I make pasta, I use one pot just for cooking the pasta, then everything gets mixed together in another pot. Not this time!

Is this recipe freezer friendly?

I have not tested this meal after being in the freezer because we always eat it too fast!

I’m unsure if it would thaw well due to the lack of sauce in the meal. The texture may change when it’s thawed, but it might still be worth a try. Let me know how it goes if you freeze this dish.

How to store One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to reheat One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta:

You can reheat this recipe, or enjoy cold. This meal is especially good straight from the fridge. Cold pasta is a quick an easy leftovers meal!

You can also reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave with a couple tablespoons of water so the pasta doesn’t dry out. Microwave in 30 seconds intervals until steaming and hot throughout.