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Easy cheesy Italian sausage pasta is creamy, delicious, and perfectly spiced. It’s a family favorite ready in only 20 minutes!
Italian sausage adds the perfect flavor to any pasta dish. We also love Italian sausage in soups like our Tortellini Soup or Sausage Soup!
We Love Pasta!
Our family has always been long-time fans of pasta, as well as long-time fans of sausage. It’s only natural to combine the two in this tasty dinner idea to make Italian Sausage Pasta. It was an instant hit and is on our rotation of easy dinner ideas.
We usually make Pasta or a similar Italian dish on Tuesdays each week, and this one that is never missed. The whole family loves it!
Why we love it:
- Quick. It only takes about 20 minutes to throw everything together. A quick prep time is perfect for busy weeknights!
- Easy. There are few ingredients and just a few steps.
- Tasty. This is a hit with both kids and adults alike – it’s packed with flavor!
Simple Ingredients
- bow tie pasta – Substitute pasta with a bed of White Rice, Cauliflower Rice, Mashed Potatoes, or Baked Potatoes.
- mild Italian sausage – or use spicy pork sausage, chicken sausage, or turkey sausage. You can even exchange the sausage for ground beef or ground chicken.
- onion
- minced garlic or garlic cloves
- crushed red pepper flakes – optional to taste
- Italian stewed tomatoes – canned Diced tomatoes work too, but we usually will add extra seasonings
- heavy cream
- salt
- dried basil
- Parmesan cheese – Substitute the Parmesan with mozzarella, or a blend of provolone, fontina, Romano, and asiago.
Ready in 20 minutes
- PASTA. Cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot. Drain and set aside.
- SAUSAGE. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, onion, garlic, and pepper flakes, stirring, for 4–5 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
- SAUCE. Stir in tomatoes, cream, salt, basil, and ½ cup Parmesan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes or until thickened.
- SERVE. Add pasta to the sausage mixture and toss. Garnish with remaining ½ cup Parmesan before serving.
Recipe Tips
- Variations.
- Meatless. Try this pasta by omitting the sausage altogether.
- Veggies. Add veggies such as zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, or spinach to this easy pasta recipe.
- Serving suggestions. Try serving this pasta with Fried Zucchini, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Chicken Caesar Salad, Garlic Knot Recipe, or Olive Garden Breadsticks.
Storing Info
- STORE leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave, oven, or a pan on the stove. The pasta may have absorbed some of the liquid leaving it dried out. Feel free to add a bit more cream before heating.
- FREEZE. Whether you’re freezing this ahead of time or wish to save any leftovers. Cool and pour into an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 4 months.
- Thaw and heat on the stovetop over LOW heat stirring constantly. Add a small amount of cream as needed to revitalize the sauce.
For More Pasta Dishes:
Fettuccine Alfredo
35 mins
Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta
25 mins
Pasta Carbonara
25 mins
Chicken Penne Pasta
30 mins
Italian Sausage Pasta
Easy cheesy Italian sausage pasta is creamy, delicious, and perfectly spiced. It's a family favorite ready in only 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) package bow tie pasta
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage
- ½ cup chopped onion, optional
- 1½ teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans Italian stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage, onion, garlic, and pepper flakes, stirring, for 4–5 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink. Drain excess fat.
- Stir in tomatoes, cream, salt, basil, and ½ cup Parmesan and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 6-8 minutes or until thickened.
- Add pasta to sausage mixture and toss.
- Garnish with remaining ½ cup Parmesan before serving.
Video
Notes
Recipe tips.
- Not only does this Italian Sausage Sauce taste great over pasta, it can also be put over a bed of White Rice, Cauliflower Rice, Mashed Potatoes, or Baked Potatoes.
- Add sautéed veggies such as zucchini, bell peppers, mushrooms, or spinach to this easy pasta recipe.
- Swap out the mild Italian sausage for chicken sausage, turkey sausage, or spicy sausage.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g, Calories: 650kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 21g, Fat: 60g, Saturated Fat: 30g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 21g, Cholesterol: 167mg, Sodium: 1269mg, Potassium: 368mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 1286IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 248mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is a HUGE hit with my entire family, including the kids, in-laws, cousins and friends!! Everyone has made this dish with many variations and it NEVER disappoints!!!
Love that!! Thanks for sharing! Glad it’s always a hit!
It was great I used a orange bell pepper instead of onion italin seasoning instead of basil diced tomatoes instead of stewed and mozzarella instead of parmesan oh and spicy italin sausage it was soo good thank you
It’s been a while since I’ve made a new recipe that my 8 year old, husband and myself all loved! This was so easy and super delicious! Perfect for a weeknight dinner. Thank you again- we will be making this again and again.
This recipe sounds tasty & easy. There are so many variations & additions to change it up. I will be making this,Thanks
You’re welcome! Hope you enjoy!
I have made many a spaghetti dinner but none of them have been as tasty as this one is! My picky eaters loved it! (So did I!)