​​This simple one pot Italian Sausage Pasta recipe couldn’t be easier!

This delicious kid-friendly Italian pasta sausage recipe goes from stove to table in less than 30 minutes. It’s the perfect weekday meal for busy parents on the go! Made with Italian sausage and penne pasta in a tomato base topped with melted mozzarella and Parmesan, this meal is always a crowd-pleaser, perfect for potlucks and buffets too!

Italian Sausage Pasta in a skillet, garnished with fresh parsley 

Thank you to Frieling USA for sponsoring this belly warming Pasta Recipe! 

Best Italian Sausage Recipe

  • Easy and versatile Italian sausage pasta is a guaranteed hit with families and cooks alike.
  • Melding sausage and pasta in a red sauce base, this spicy Italian sausage pasta recipe is prepped and ready in no time. And because it’s assembled in just one pot or skillet, cleanup couldn’t be easier!
  • There is plenty of room for your choice of veggie add-ins too. Diced eggplant, peppers, zucchini, or fresh tomatoes from the garden are welcome options. Add in some slivers of fresh garlic to amp up the flavor even more.
  • A creamy cheesy, topping gives this robust meal even more stick-to-your-ribs appeal!

process to make Italian Sausage Pasta

Ingredients and Variations

Try some of these variations and let your cooking creativity go wild!

MEAT – Instead of Italian sausage, try substituting smoky chorizo with Mexican seasonings, or pre-cooked frozen meatballs from the freezer aisle. Turkey, chicken, or beef sausages can also be subbed in for the Italian. Browned ground beef could also be part of the picture, either as a stand-alone meat, or in addition to the sausage.

PASTA – Rigatoni, rotini, medium shells, or any other pasta shape you prefer will work just as well as penne pasta. Be sure to adjust cooking time accordingly, using the package directions.

CHEESE – Romano is a perfect substitute for Parmesan. Shredded provolone, muenster, or Monterey jack are also variations on mozzarella. Consider using crumbly cotija, when going for a Mexican taste variation.

Italian Sausage Pasta in a skillet with a wooden spoon

How to Cook Italian Sausage Pasta

  1. Use this Woll skillet to cook sausage with onion until no pink remains (as per recipe below).
  2. Add in remaining ingredients, except cheese, and continue cooking until pasta is tender.
  3. Top with cheese and serve hot.
  4. Serve hot with a side of jalapeno cornbread.

Favorite Shortcut Tips!

Hard to believe, but prep and cook time for Italian sausage pasta can be even quicker with these tips!

  • Use mini pasta shapes, (such as mini shells) instead of medium.
  • Substitute onion and/or garlic powder for the diced fresh onion to make prepping and cleanup even faster!
  • Packaged seasoning mixes will make cooking sausage pasta even quicker. 
  • Serve Italian sausage pasta from the same pot or skillet you cooked it in to make cleanup even more of a breeze.

Italian Sausage Pasta and on a white plate with a fork, and the remaining pasta in a pan with a wooden spoon.

Other Delish One Pot Meals!

Italian Sausage Pasta in a skillet, garnished with fresh parsley
5 from 22 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Italian Sausage Pasta

This easy 30 minute, one pot Italian Sausage Pasta recipe is the perfect family meal topped with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 6
Author Holly

Equipment

Ingredients  

  • 1 pound Italian pork sausage
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1 ¼ cups water
  • 14 ounces diced tomatoes undrained (1 can)
  • 1 cup tomato sauce
  • ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 8 ounces medium pasta (penne) uncooked
  • ½ cup mozzarella shredded
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
  • parsley or basil, optional

Instructions 

  • Cook sausage and onion until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
  • Stir in remaining ingredients except cheese.
  • Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook covered 14-16 minutes or until pasta is tender.
  • Remove from heat and top with cheese. Broil 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Garnish with parsley.
5 from 22 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 918mg | Potassium: 569mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 11.1mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 2.6mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course dinner, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine Italian

REPIN this Italian Sausage Pasta recipe!

Italian Sausage Pasta and on a white plate with a fork, and the remaining pasta in a pan with a wooden spoon, with a title.

Italian Sausage Pasta in a skillet, garnished with fresh parsley, with a title
Italian Sausage Pasta and on a white plate, and the whole pasta dish in a skillet under the title.

Categories:

, , ,

Recipes you'll love

About the author

See more posts by Holly

latest & greatest

5 from 22 votes (20 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this tonight with tiny rigatini pasta. I added 4 garlic cloves, eggplant and portobello mushrooms. I used Rao’s marinara sauce for the tomato sauce. It was wonderful! The only problem is that it made enough not for 6 servings but for 20!

  2. 5 stars
    Super easy and delicious! Most of the ingredients are ones you probably have so it makes for a good meal when in a pinch! I also find it very flexible to add extra veg or different meat or a white cheese if this is what you have on hand. I did use extra pasta and just added an extra can of diced tomatoes, extra seasoning, and some extra water.

  3. Hi! Are these macro counts for just one serving? If not, what is the serving size? Thank you ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. The nutrition information is for one serving. The recipe makes 6 servings, so one serving is one sixth of the finished recipe. Enjoy Lauren!

  4. It is hard to find 8 oz box of penne pasta most is 13.25 or 16 oz and push everything up a quater? Or, do double of everything?

    1. You could double the recipe Alyson or use half the box of pasta for fewer leftovers if you want ๐Ÿ™‚