Try this one-pan pasta dinner with chicken sausage, cheese, and spinach! It only takes 30 minutes to make.
BE PICTURED IN; CHARACTERIZED IN:
Do you ever have those days where you feel very lazy while cooking dinner? I was there!
This chicken sausage pasta dish is my go-to when I need an easy dinner. All I need is some oil and 5 basic ingredients: chicken sausage, pasta, marinara sauce, spinach and cheese. That’s it. Depending on the time I have to prep dinner, I might throw in some diced peppers and zucchini to make it more filling.
I included a quick marinara sauce in my recipe below, but if I’m in a hurry, a store-bought sauce is fine. You can also make the marinara sauce ahead of time and freeze it for quick, whole new weeknight meals.
It’s very easy to adapt the recipe to the ingredients you have on hand and how quickly you need to have dinner on the table.
Try this pasta dish the next time you want a quick homemade meal. I promise it’s faster than takeout!
Pasta pan with chicken sausage, cheese and spinach
ingredients
For the marinara sauce (or substitute 2 1/2 to 3 cups of store-bought sauce):
-
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
-
1 1/2 cups (180g) diced Red onions
-
2 cloves garlicchopped
-
1 (28 ounce) can (795g) crushed tomatoes
-
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
-
1/4 Cup (5g) chopped fresh parsley
-
1/4 Cup (5g) chopped fresh basil
-
1 teaspoon dried oregano
For the noodles:
-
8th ounces (225g) penne
-
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
-
1 lb (450g) chicken sausagescut into bite-sized pieces
-
4 to 6 cups (100 to 150g) baby spinach
-
1 1/2 cups (140 g) crushed mozzarella cheese
-
Chopped Parsely, for garnish
method
-
Preheat the oven to 350F
-
Make the Marinara Sauce (or substitute for the store-bought sauce):
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add mashed tomatoes and cook until sauce bubbles on a rapid simmer, 1 to 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes. Mix in the honey, parsley, basil, and oregano and cook for another minute. Season the sauce with salt to taste. turn off the heat. (Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups; keeps 4 to 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.)
-
Cook pasta:
Bring 2 liters of water to a boil in a saucepan. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Once the water is boiling, add the pasta and cook for 7 to 9 minutes depending on how you like your pasta. Drain the noodles and run them under cold water. Put aside.
-
Make the sausage and spinach sauce:
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped sausage and cook until meat is tender, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the pasta sauce and heat for a minute. Add the spinach and fold into the sauce. The spinach should wilt within 30 seconds.
-
Bake pasta:
Add noodles to skillet and stir until combined. Top with mozzarella cheese. Place pan in oven and bake until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. For a faster alternativeskip the oven and just stir the cheese into the pasta until the cheese is melted.
-
Garnish the pasta with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper:
Serve hot.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 412 | calories |
| 20g | Fat |
| 31g | carbohydrates |
| 29g | protein |
