You won’t believe how easy it is to make this One Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta with Spinach. Simply cook the sausage, pasta, and cream sauce together and after 15 minutes, it’s ready to enjoy!
Jump to RecipeOne pot creamy sausage pasta recipe
One Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta with Spinach is basically heaven in a pot. Made with a luscious cream sauce, pasta, sausage, and spinach, this family-friendly dinner is always a hit. Plus, you can’t beat the easy clean up!
Just like my Sausage and Tortellini Soup, this 15-minute recipe features an irresistible cream sauce made from simple ingredients. Fresh spinach is mixed in not only for a gorgeous pop of greens but a boost in nutrition as well! Cooked all together with pasta and sausage, this is a comfort food your whole family will be raving about for years.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Sausage – While you can use any type of sausage you like, I recommend using Italian sausage or smoked sausage for an extra hint of spice and bold flavors. If you prefer to keep things on the lighter side, use chicken sausage or lean pork sausage instead.
- Onion and garlic – For an exceptional baseline of flavor.
- Red chili flakes – These add a nice bite to the pasta recipe without making it overly spicy. Add as much as you like or omit it entirely to keep the heat level low.
- Tomatoes – Buy a can of diced tomatoes to keep things simple.
- Heavy cream – This, along with chicken broth, is the base of the creamy pasta sauce. You can try replacing this with regular milk, Greek yogurt, or dairy free milk to lighten it up but the finished result won’t be as creamy.
- Spinach – The pop of green from wilted cooked spinach is very welcome in this creamy comfort food. If you don’t have fresh spinach, you can use thawed frozen spinach or any other fresh leafy green you like.
- Mozzarella cheese – Just when you think it can’t get any better, shredded mozzarella is stirred into the cooked pasta for another layer of creaminess.
- Pasta – I recommend using small pasta shells, like trottole, penne, or farfalle.
How to make creamy sausage pasta in one pot
This process is as simple as throwing everything into a big pot and letting it all cook together. It’s a true one pot pasta recipe! As if that’s not great enough, the whole dish is ready to eat in about 15 minutes:
- Saute the sausage.
Add the oil to a large pot and saute the onion and sausage together over medium heat. After a few minutes, add the garlic, salt, oregano, and red chili flakes.
- Make the sauce and add the pasta.
Add the canned tomatoes, heavy cream, chicken broth, and pasta to the pot and stir to combine.
- Let it simmer.
Bring the mixture up to a boil, then lower heat and add the lid on top. Let it simmer and cook until the pasta is tender.
- Add the spinach and cheese.
Once the pasta is cooked, stir the mozzarella cheese and spinach into the mixture.
- Serve and enjoy.
Serve the pasta in individual bowls with grated parmesan on top and fresh focaccia bread on the side!
Tips and variations
- Add ins – Mushrooms, bacon, bell peppers, sun red tomatoes, basil, and parmesan cheese would all be delicious additions.
- Instead of sausage – Use ground beef, chicken meatballs, pork meatballs, or leftover baked chicken.
- Change the sauce – If the cream sauce isn’t your thing, replace the heavy cream with marinara sauce for a tangier tomato flavor.
- Vegetarian – Replace the sausage with plant based sausages and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
- Gluten free – Simply swap the regular pasta for your favorite gluten free pasta shells.
Storing and reheating leftovers
To store, transfer the leftovers to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To reheat, warm the leftovers in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. You can add a splash of milk, cream, or chicken broth to give it a creamier texture if needed.
More one pot recipes to make for dinner
- Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi
- Spicy Thai Peanut Chicken
- Penne with Veggies and Prosciutto
- Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo
Did you try this One Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta with Spinach? Don’t forget to tell me what you think in the comments below, or share a picture on Instagram! I love to share all of your recreations on my page.
One Pot Creamy Sausage Pasta with Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1 pound sausage, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red chilli flakes, optional
- 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 pound pasta, I used Italian trottole
- 2 ½ oz spinach
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pot, add the olive oil, onion, and sausage. Sauté for 3-4 minutes on medium heat.
- Add garlic, salt, oregano, and red chili flakes. Sauté for 1 minute.
- Add canned tomatoes, heavy cream, chicken broth, and pasta. Mix to combine.
- Bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium. Cover with lid and cook pasta according to the pasta package. (mine was 7-9 minutes)
- Remove from heat, add cheese, then spinach (you might need to do it in two batches), mix to combine and let it sit for a few minutes to let the cheese melt and the spinach to wilt.
- Enjoy while it’s hot. Makes great leftover.
Michelle
I’m so happy with the recipe, all my friends and family loved it!!! Definitely will cook again!!!
Janna
I tried the recipe and it was really good. What else can I add to the recipe? Thanks for the recipe.
Ella
Oh my goodness! This was so fricken good! Definitely going into the dinner rotation!
lena
Thank you Ella! Love to hear it’s going in regular rotation!
Caty
Really great recipe. Full of flavor and easy to make gluten and dairy free. The whole family loved it, such a winner.
lena
Wonderful Caty!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it!
Samantha Hutchinson
Made this last night for dinner and it was excellent. Only modification I made was my son doesn’t like chunks of tomato so I used crushed tomato instead of the diced. Other than that I made it the exact way. It was great! Everyone loved it.
lena
Thank you for sharing your review Samantha, I totally hear you, I’ll add that as an option for others as well in case they run into the same issue. Appreciate you sharing your review. Happy Cooking!