Italian Sausage Pasta with Spinach, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is a 30-minute ONE-POT wonder that a whole family will love! It's dairy-free; there is no cream and no cheese. This hearty Italian dinner can be easily adjusted to be gluten-free.
Italian Sausage Pasta
The simplicity of this recipe makes it a perfect dinner choice for busy weeknights. It also makes a great presentation (with minimal effort) so you can make this quick and easy pasta for special occasions to treat your family, friends, and guests. It's super flexible and easily adjustable. Make it with hot or mild Italian sausage - anything goes! Buy crumbled sausage or sausage in casings and remove the casings. You can use any kind of short-cut pasta. I used small rigatoni here, you can also use penne, farfalle (bow-tie), fusilli (spiral pasta), orecchiette, and orzo. Add your favorite veggies: spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, broccoli, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, asparagus, or bell peppers.
Why you'll love it
- 30-Minute ONE-POT meal. This Italian-inspired pasta dish is a great option to have in your dinner rotation for busy weeknights. The recipe is simple, yet the flavors are fantastic! It tastes like an entree from an Italian restaurant.
- Great for meal prep. Because this recipe is dairy-free and has no cream and no cheese, it's great for making ahead and freezing. It thaws and reheats exceptionally well (unlike creamy dishes).
The ingredients
- Sausage. Use hot Italian sausage (crumbled or in casings). I removed the casings and crumbled the sausage.
- Pasta. I used small rigatoni. Any short-cut pasta works.
- Spinach is a leafy green vegetable high in fiber. I used fresh spinach, you can also use frozen spinach - thawed and drained of any liquid. Kale or arugula are good substitutes.
- Sun-dried tomatoes. I used sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil which I drained and then used some of the oil for cooking.
- Artichokes. I used 14 oz of canned artichoke hearts (one can) drained well of any liquid.
- Garlic adds pungency and aroma to any recipe, especially pasta dishes!
- Italian seasoning adds a ton of flavor.
- Salt and pepper. Use those to taste. I recommend using freshly ground or coarse black pepper.
- Red pepper flakes will add heat. Use these sparingly to taste so that they don't overwhelm the dish.
- Chicken stock is used to cook the pasta. You can also use vegetable, beef broth (or stock), or water.
How to make Italian sausage pasta
Below are general instructions and step-by-step photos. For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card.
Add crumbled Italian sausage to a large, high-sided skillet and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes, crumbling it. Add minced garlic and Italian seasoning and stir it in.
Add uncooked pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, and chicken stock.
Mix everything well, and simmer (cook on the lowest boil setting), covered, for 10 - 12 minutes or longer until the pasta is al dente.
Once the pasta is cooked, add chopped and drained artichokes and fresh spinach.
Cook on low-medium heat for a couple of minutes until spinach wilts. Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
What type of sausage to use?
- Hot Italian sausage. I used 19 oz of hot Italian sausage. It adds so much flavor that you don't even need any spices. You can also use sweet or mild Italian sausage, but in that case, you will need to up the spices and salt.
- Remove the casings. I removed the casings and crumbled the sausage. You don't have to remove the casings and can slice the sausage links with casings on, but I prefer the texture of the sausage without the casings, so I recommend this step!
Substitutions and variations
- Use orzo instead of rigatoni. Use 1 cup of uncooked orzo and 2 cups of liquid (chicken stock or water). Cook orzo in the same pan with sausage for about 10 minutes, and add extra liquid if needed towards the end.
- Use other kinds of short-cut pasta, such as farfalle (bow-tie pasta), penne, fusilli, or orecchiette. In this case, use 2.5 cups of chicken stock for 8 oz of pasta, and cook the pasta in the same pan with sausage for about 10 or 15 minutes.
- Veggies. You can pick and choose your favorites: spinach, kale, fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, or mushrooms. Broccoli, asparagus, frozen peas, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.
Delicious add-ins
- Add red wine. Add a splash of dry red wine (about ¼ cup) to the cooked sausage, reduce it briefly for a minute, then add chicken broth and pasta. It will add depth of flavor to the recipe.
- Add cheese, such as shredded Parmesan, Romano cheese, Asiago, or Mozzarella.
- Add Cream. Add a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half at the end to make it creamy.
Recipe Notes
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free short-cut pasta.
- Toppings. Top the Italian sausage pasta with shredded Parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes, or cracked black pepper when serving.
Storage and reheating tips
- Fridge. Store the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer. Freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Because this recipe is dairy-free, and there is no cream and no cheese, it freezes, thaws, and reheats very well. Perfect for meal prep!
- Reheat in the microwave oven. Reheat the refrigerated Italian sausage pasta in a microwave oven for about 1 minute. Taste and reheat for 30 seconds more, if needed.
- Reheat on the stovetop. Reheat it in a large, high-sided skillet on the stovetop on low-medium heat.
What to serve with it
- Bread. Serve this easy recipe with a crusty slice of Italian bread, baguette, or breadsticks.
- Simple side salad. Or, see my recommendations below:
- Pear Spinach Salad with Goat Cheese, Pecans, and Honey-Lemon Dressing
- Apple Spinach Salad with Pecans, Cranberries, and Goat Cheese
- Tomato Cucumber Avocado Salad
- Strawberry Spinach Salad with Balsamic Dressing
Other Italian sausage pasta recipes you might like
- Italian Sausage Gnocchi with Bell Peppers and Mushrooms
- Sausage Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, Spinach, and Mushrooms
- Italian Sausage Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Tomato Sauce
- Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage
- Sausage Orecchiette with Spinach and Tomatoes
Italian Sausage Pasta (30 Minutes, ONE-POT)
Ingredients
- 19 oz Italian sausage hot or mild, crumbled (or use ½ mild and ½ hot)
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 8 oz pasta (rigatoni or penne), uncooked
- 4 oz sundried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, chopped
- 2.5 cups chicken stock or water
- 14 oz artichokes 1 can, drained really well, chopped
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- salt and red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Add crumbled Italian sausage to a large, high-sided skillet and cook on medium heat for about 4 minutes, crumbling it.
- Add minced garlic and Italian seasoning and stir it in.
- Add uncooked pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, and chicken stock.
- Mix everything well, and simmer (cook on the lowest boil setting), covered, for 10 - 12 minutes or longer until the pasta is al dente. Note: It's OK if the liquid does not completely cover the pasta. Because you will cook the pasta covered on simmer, enough steam will be generated in the pan to cook it even if the pasta is not completely covered by liquid. In the end, pretty much all the liquid should be completely absorbed by the pasta. But do not overcook the pasta.
- Once the pasta is cooked, add chopped and drained artichokes and fresh spinach. Cook on low-medium heat for a couple of minutes until spinach wilts.
- Season with salt and red pepper flakes.
Notes
- I recommend using HOT Italian sausage. It has so much flavor. My next best choice would be mild Italian sausage. Sweet Italian sausage could be too sweet - I do not really recommend it.
- Or, use ½ mild and ½ hot Italian sausage; otherwise, the hot sausage might overpower other flavors for some people. But do use ½ or ⅓ hot Italian sausage for flavor, don't skip it!
- To make it GLUTEN-FREE, use GF pasta. This recipe is great for fiber-rich, gluten-free pasta, such as chickpea or lentil pasta.
- To make it MEATLESS, use plant-based Italian sausages, such as Beyond Meat or Impossible sausage brands. Or, cook chopped portobello mushrooms generously seasoned with salt, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, paprika, and Italian seasoning.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Great dinner. I didn't have artichoke so I sauted a pepper and onion to add & a little spicy tapanade.
I love the quick prep & cook time of your recipes
Thank you so much, Fiona, for your feedback on both this recipe and the pork tenderloin! I really appreciate readers' reviews—they mean the world to me!
Loved this recipe! Quick and easy. My picky middle schooler also loved it.
Thank you, Leigh, so glad this recipe turned out well!
I'm giving it 5 stars because my husband loved it and said that he didn't know that an at home cooked meal could be so good! It was the first time that I've cooked with Italian sausage but I'm looking forward to experimenting more. I used the hot sausage but I thought the flavor overpowered all the other great flavors that were in the dish. I think next time I'll try 1/2 mild and 1/2 hot just to allow the tomatoes and artichokes to be tasted a little more.
Jessica, great feedback! When I made it I also thought it was too spicy, but I do love hot Italian sausage (probably more than most people). 🙂 Great idea, to use 1/2 mild and 1/2 hot - I will update the recipe with this suggestions!