This one-pot penne pasta is a skillet meal that you can easily put together in the most effortless way. A great tasting pasta and sausage that is made with simple ingredients and minimal cleanup! This is the easiest and creamiest penne pasta recipe made in a single pot. No-bake!
Jump to:
Easy One-Pot Penne Pasta with Sausage:
If you are looking for easy one-pot pasta meal recipes, try this one-pot penne pasta with sausage. In this recipe, you will learn how to cook delicious pasta for dinner by throwing all of the ingredients in a pot, then bring the cooked pasta straight to your dinner table! It can be ready in less than 30 minutes!
You can cook this past in a Dutch oven, skillet or pot. No matter which kitchen tool you choose or use this recipe will always impress your family!
Why You'll Love this One-Pot Pasta:
- Use less liquid/water! You will use less liquid because you don't need to cook the pasta separately. Nothing to drain!
- Save time! There is no need to wait for a huge pot of water to boil before you add pasta.
- Flavorful! By simmering the uncooked pasta in the sauce for 15-18 minutes or until al dente, it yields the creamiest and rich sauce taste at the end.
- Fewer pots to wash! This one-pot pasta recipe means that you will have fewer pots to wash for after dinner!
What Makes this Sausage Penne Pasta So Good:
This pasta beats the rest, it's just loaded with goodness. It's packed with Italian sausage and has a smooth creamy sauce that is made of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and heavy cream.
To boost the flavor, I also added dried basil to the sauce or you can use Italian seasoning as a replacement ingredient.
In this recipe, I used Penne Pasta that I purchased from Costco. Penne pasta is often served with a tomato-based sauce or heavier meat. You can also substitute with Rigatoni, Fusilli, Ziti, Mostaccioli, Chifferi, Ditali, or Elicoidali.
How to Cook Pasta and Sausage in One Pot:
Cooking pasta and sauce in one pot is actually easy and quick, yet has no sacrifice to the taste.
So here's how I cook this pasta in one pot.
- Brown the sausage. In this recipe, I used sweet Italian chicken sausage that I purchased from Trader Joe's. Feel free to use any type of Italian sausage of your choices, such as pork or spicy sausage. Cook the sausage at medium-high heat.
- Cook the onion and garlic. Onion and garlic are super healthy. Most importantly, the high levels of antioxidants in onions give their distinctive sweetness and aroma. I only cooked the onion until soft and translucent to increase its sweetness and to reduce the acidity.
- Add the sauce ingredients. Skip the store-bought pasta sauce! To make this yummy pasta, you only need to combine diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and heavy cream.
- Add extra seasoning to the sauce. The Italian sausages are usually loaded with herbs and other seasonings. But since you will be adding a lot of liquid and uncooked pasta in this dish, I think it's a good idea to boost the flavor with extra herbs. I personally added a small amount of dried basil to the sauce (or you can use dried Italian seasoning). You can also add a pinch of red pepper flakes to add some heat if needed.
- Add the uncooked pasta. In this recipe, you will need about 12 oz of uncooked pasta.
- Bring to a boil and simmer! Now, it's time to cook all of the ingredients together in one pot. First, you will need to bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to a medium-low setting, cover, and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until al dente.
- Stir and scraping! This is probably the most important step of all and the secret of a successful one-pot pasta! To prevent food from sticking and burning, you really have to stir the pasta in sauce and scraping the bottom of the pan every 3 minutes. Simply lift the lid, stir and scrape, press the pasta into the sauce, then put the lid back on, simmer, and repeat this process until the pasta is al-dente.
- Add broth if necessary! My pasta came out perfect and I didn't have to add any extra liquid to the dish during simmering. However, if you think that additional liquid may be necessary, don't be afraid to add about ¼ cup of broth each time you need it, stirring the mixture, and then continue cooking.
- An optional step and extra ingredient! If you are a cheese lover, you can add shredded or shaved mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta after the cooking process is done. Let stand, covered for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Add Pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese! Lastly, add about ¼ cup of parmesan cheese or pecorino romano to serve. Use fewer or more cheese according to your liking.
Storing Leftover Pasta:
Transfer the leftover pasta in shallow airtight containers or resealable plastic bags. Properly stored, it will maintain the best quality for about 3-5 days in the fridge or 1-2 months in the freezer.
Check Out More Sausage Recipes:
- Sausage Skillet with White Beans and Kale
- Instant Pot Sausage Gnocchi Soup
- Instant Pot Sausage Kale Soup
📖 Recipe
One-Pot Penne Pasta
Equipment
- deep skillet or dutch oven with lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian chicken sausage
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ½ cup diced yellow onion
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 14.5 oz (1 can) diced tomatoes
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1¼ cups chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon dried basil , (or use Italian seasoning) use more according to your liking
- ¼ cup grated parmesan or pecorino romano cheese, (use more according to your liking)
Optional:
- 1 cup shredded or shaved mozzarella cheese, (lightly packed)
- chopped parsley, (to serve)
- salt and pepper, (if needed)
- a pinch of red pepper flakes, (or more if you love spicy)
Instructions
- Heat large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage; cook undisturbed for about 1 minute, then break apart with a spoon to crumble. Cook for about 2 minutes.
- Add onion, and butter. Cook and keep stirring for 4 minutes.
- Add garlic. Cook and keep stirring for 1 minute.
- Add dried basil or Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, diced tomatoes, broth, heavy cream, tomato sauce, and uncooked pasta into the skillet to stir to combine. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to a medium-low setting and cook 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Adjust seasoning with salt/pepper or red pepper flakes if needed.Be sure to keep stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot every 3 minutes to prevent the food from sticking and burning. Turn off the heat.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese, and serve with additional cheese if needed.
- (Optional): Add shredded or shaved mozzarella cheese on top of the pasta. Let stand, covered for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with parsley.
Agnes says
I love pasta dishes! Can I copy your recipe and see how can I make one as beautiful as yours?
Sydnie says
My family loves this recipe, we make this at least once a month . Curious though if you can put this in a crock pot for a party??
Rika says
Hi Sydnie,
I am glad that you and your family love this recipe. Yes, you can cook in a crockpot. Here's how:
1. Brown the meat.
2. Put all of the ingredients, except the heavy cream, pasta, and parmesan cheese in a crockpot.
3. Close the lid and cook for 3-4 hours on high or 6-7 hours on low.
3. Open the lid and stir in the pasta and heavy cream. Push the pasta down so they are submerged. Close the lid and cook for another 30 minutes or until al dente.
4. Serve with some parmesan cheese.
Let me know how it goes!
Best,
Rika
Liz says
This looks phenomenal! Pasta is my go-to, especially during quarantine. Thank you for the tip about adding extra seasoning to the sauce, I would've never thought of that!
Elena says
Can you not add the meat. garlic,onion,heavy cream?
Rika says
Hi Elena,
Indeed, it is possible to exclude the meat, either substitute the heavy cream with milk or use a non-dairy alternative, and omit the garlic and onion if preferred. However, it is important to acknowledge that making these adjustments could potentially lead to a slightly less creamy texture than what was originally intended, and it may also alter the overall flavor of the dish.
Best,
Rika