One-Pot Italian Sausage Pasta — An EASY comfort food recipe that’s loaded with Italian flavors, ready in 20 minutes, made in ONE pot, and a family favorite!! No need to boil the pasta separately to save time and dishes!!
Italian Sausage Penne Pasta Recipe
I am a huge pan of one-pot recipes, meaning you cook the protein and the pasta in the same pot, and you don’t need to drain any pasta water later. It makes life so much simpler and obviously doing dishes is a breeze with just one pot.
This family-friendly comfort food recipe is ready in 20 minutes and is sure to be a hit with everyone.
The al dente penne pasta with flavorful sausage, juicy tomatoes, the creamy-cheesy factor from the sour cream and Parmesan, along with the fresh basil was a total winner for my daughter. She immediately gave this one-pot recipe a 10 out of 1o.
What’s in Italian Sausage Pasta?
To make this one-pot sausage pasta recipe, you’ll need:
- Italian sausage
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Oregano
- Canned petite diced tomatoes
- Water
- Penne pasta
- Sour cream
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
How to Make Italian Sausage Pasta
Simply brown Italian sausage, add garlic, a can of diced tomatoes, dry uncooked pasta, water, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the water is all soaked in.
Then add sour cream (for creaminess) and fresh Parmesan cheese (for cheesiness) before stirring in fresh basil. It’s a match made in heaven!
What Type of Italian Sausage Should I Use?
I used one pound of hot Italian sausage in links so I needed to remove the casings. If you can find one pound of your favorite brand of sausage without casings, it makes things even faster.
The hot Italian sausage adds the perfect pop of spiciness without being too hot or spicy but if you or your family are more sensitive to spicy foods, then I recommend sweet Italian sausage instead.
Whether you make spicy sausage pasta or sweet Italian sausage pasta, this recipe is bound to be a hit!
What Type of Pasta Should I Use?
I used penne, but any small-shaped pasta will work such as rotini, bowtie, small shells, or wheels. I don’t recommend using a long, thin pasta like spaghetti for this recipe.
Tips for Making Italian Sausage and Pasta
Do NOT cook the pasta before adding it to the skillet. It cooks in the same skillet with the tomatoes, sausage and water and soaks up so much more flavor that way.
Stir the pasta once midway through cooking, paying attention to the pasta on the bottom of the skillet so it doesn’t stick. Don’t stir it too frequently.
You might not need to add any additional salt to the pasta. Remember that the sausage, tomatoes, and Parmesan are already salted. Give the pasta a taste after it’s cooked before seasoning it.
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One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I used hot but sweet Italian sausage may be substituted)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil, as desired
- 3 to 5 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon oregano, optional
- one 14.5-ounce can petite diced tomatoes, I used Hunt's no-salt added, tomato basil oregano flavor
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 cups penne pasta, another small-shaped pasta may be substituted
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ⅔ to ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil, chiffonaded
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste if desired
Instructions
- To a large skillet at least 4-inches deep or large pot, add the sausage, 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil if desired, and brown sausage over medium high heat. Crumble sausage as it cooks; do not drain.
- Add the garlic, optional oregano, stir, and cook for about 1 minute, or until fragrant; stir nearly constantly.
- Add the tomatoes, water, pasta, stir, cover the skillet with a lid, reduce the heat to medium low, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and the water has incorporated. Stir once midway through cooking, paying attention to the pasta on the bottom of the skillet so it doesn't stick (this is why I recommend olive oil, even with sausage).
- Turn off the heat, add the sour cream, and stir to combine.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and stir to combine.
- Add the basil, pepper if desired (I didn't need to add salt), and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is without a doubt one of the best pastas I have eaten! I had to let the pasta boil down so it wasn’t runny and I added onions but other than that it was definitely 5 stars!
Thanks for the 5 star review and wonderful this is one of the best pastas you’ve ever eaten!
I’m unsure why it was so soupy. I put the two and a half cups of water in and simmered which I figured would reduce most of that but it turned into a watery down soup basically :(
Is there something I missed?
Your pasta probably didn’t absorb the amount of water you used. There is variation among pastas so perhaps yours just didn’t need as much liquid as you added. Normally though it would be relatively “close” and a hard boil with it simmering fast and rapidly should have simmered off whatever excess liquid there was in a matter of 5 mins or so. It’s hard to guess from afar but thanks for trying the recipe.
Excellent
Thank you, Averie! We don’t use cheese or sour cream, but this dish was delicious!
Thank you, Averie! We don’t use cheese or sour cream, but this dish was delicious!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it came out delish even without the dairy!
Very delicious! I wondered about the sour cream but it is great! Creamy cheesy delicious! I did not have the petite tomatoes so I used a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes. Chopped them up and used the juice with water added to make the 2.5 cups of liquid. Worked great!
Very delicious! I wondered about the sour cream but it is great! Creamy cheesy delicious! I did not have the petite tomatoes so I used a 28 oz can of whole tomatoes. Chopped them up and used the juice with water added to make the 2.5 cups of liquid. Worked great!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was delicious and that you made use of the canned tomatoes you had and yes, the sour cream does add a great creaminess!
Quick, easy and delicious. Used tomato sauce instead of chunk tomatoes.
Quick, easy and delicious. Used tomato sauce instead of chunk tomatoes.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was quick, easy, and delish and the tomato sauce worked, too!
This dish is simple and oh so delicious!!! I will make this dish again and again. Thank you!
This dish is simple and oh so delicious!!! I will make this dish again and again. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad you’ll make it again and again!
I omitted the garlic because I ran out. I added Peppers and onions. I was amazed how good it was.
I omitted the garlic because I ran out. I added Peppers and onions. I was amazed how good it was.
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad it was amazingly good for you!
Delicious !! I added a little extra sour cream but everything else was perfect ! I’ll
Make again for sure
Delicious !! I added a little extra sour cream but everything else was perfect ! I’ll
Make again for sure
Thanks for the 5 star review and glad this was perfect and that you’ll make it again for sure!
This is a repeat pasta dish in my family. It is flavorful and quick to prepare. Thank you for your emails with recipes to make. I enjoy scrolling your website. Such a variety of dishes