Flavorful Italian sausage is tossed together with tender penne to make this quick, easy, and creamy Sausage Pasta recipe! The pasta is cooked in a mixture of chicken broth and tomato sauce to give it more flavor, and it’s all held together by melted mascarpone cheese. This is a hearty one-pan dinner you don’t want to miss out on!
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Why We Love This Sausage Pasta Recipe
This combination of pork, pasta, and creamy cheese is the kind of meal you’ll look forward to having after a long day!
- Creamy. Made with mascarpone cheese, the sauce is ultra-thick and creamy.
- Hearty. Italian sausage, penne pasta, and cheese make this dish filling and comforting.
- Easy. This sausage pasta takes just 30 minutes from start to finish.
Variations
If you want to make this recipe gluten-free, simply swap in a gluten-free pasta. Barilla makes gluten-free noodles, or you can use something like chickpea pasta. Be sure to keep an eye on it while cooking, because alternative varieties often cook faster.
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How to Store and Reheat
Once cooled to room temperature, you can store pasta with Italian sausage in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat for 30 seconds at a time in the microwave, stirring each time it stops, until warmed all the way through.
Serving Suggestions
Serve bowls of this creamy sausage pasta recipe along with big slices of Texas toast or fresh breadsticks, and this Italian salad.
More Pasta and Sausage Recipes To Try
- Fettuccine Alfredo with Sausage
- Baked Mostaccioli
- Crockpot Ziti
- Instant Pot Spaghetti
- Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
Sausage Pasta Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 19 ounces Italian sausage casings removed
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning store-bought or homemade
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup tomato sauce
- 8 ounces dry penne pasta (½ box)
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese store-bought or homemade (1 container)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil plus more for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet set over medium heat until shimmering.1 tablespoon olive oil
- Add the sausage, garlic, Italian seasoning, dried basil, salt, and pepper. Crumble the sausage and cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through.19 ounces Italian sausage, 3 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage mixture to a clean bowl. Set aside.
- Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Add the chicken broth and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, ¾ cup tomato sauce
- Add the pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes, until tender.8 ounces dry penne pasta
- Remove the pan from the heat. Leave about 3 tablespoons of liquid in the pan, discard the rest.
- Stir in the mascarpone until melted.8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- Add the fresh basil and cooked sausage mixture back to the pan. Mix well. Serve with fresh basil and toasted baguette slices.2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Becky’s tips
- If you don’t have fresh basil for this recipe, you can use dried basil from the bottle.
- Be sure to bring the tomato sauce and broth to a boil before tossing your pasta into the skillet. Use a timer to keep track of how long your pasta cooks to avoid overcooking it and making it mushy.
- You can alternate the sausage with ground beef, ground turkey, or even meatless crumbles.
Nutrition Information
How to Make Sausage Pasta Step by Step
Heat the Oil: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a deep skillet set over medium heat until shimmering.
Cook the Sausage: Add 19 ounces of Italian sausage, 3 minced cloves of garlic, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of dried basil, ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Crumble the sausage and cook for 6-8 minutes or until cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage mixture to a clean bowl. Set aside.
Boil the Liquid: Carefully wipe out the pan with a paper towel. Add 2½ cups of low-sodium chicken broth and ¾ cup of tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
Cook the Pasta: Add 8 ounces (½ box) of penne pasta and cook for 10-12 minutes, until tender. Remove the pan from the heat. Leave about 3 tablespoons of liquid in the pan, and discard the rest. Stir in 8 ounces (1 container) of mascarpone cheese until melted.
Garnish and Serve: Add 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil and the cooked sausage mixture back to the pan. Mix well. Serve with fresh basil and toasted baguette slices.
Use 19 ounces of Italian sausage links, or ground Italian sausage. If using sausage links, remove the casing before adding the sausage to the pan.
Penne pasta is the best choice for this recipe, but it’s not the only choice. Feel free to use other types of pasta, including rotini or small shells.
The best substitute for mascarpone cheese is cream cheese. If you don’t have that, other options include ricotta or cottage cheese.
This pasta dish is amazing & my family LOVES it!! It’s so flavorful & easy! Love love love – I used ground Italian chicken and it works perfectly
Great Recipe!!!! I used 1.5 lbs of ground Italian sweet sausage , couldn’t find brats? I also, by accident added the whole container of chicken broth! So no worries, I doubled the recipe and added 1/2 cup of rose’ whine? Red wine would have been better? But rose wasn’t sweet and on hand?!, next time I will double the mascarpone cheese. I also used fresh basil and Italian seasoning. The alcohol boiled off and the noodles cooked and absorbed all the liquid in 12 minutes, no need to discard sauce,…..unbelievable
Made a double batch of this and everybody loved it! Used dairy-free cream cheese and it was a huge hit!
Will definitely make again.
Thank you for the recipe!