One-Pot Penne Pasta

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!

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• Easy One-Pot Penne Pasta with Sausage:
• Why You'll Love this One-Pot Pasta:
• What Makes this Sausage Penne Pasta So Good:
• How to Cook Pasta and Sausage in One Pot:
• Storing Leftover Pasta:
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

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:

1. Sausage Skillet with White Beans and Kale
2. Instant Pot Sausage Gnocchi Soup
3. Instant Pot Sausage Kale Soup

📖 Recipe