Description
A creamy, garlicky one-skillet pasta dish featuring Italian sausage and spinach, ready in just 25 minutes. Perfect for busy weeknights when you need a comforting, crowd-pleasing meal with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound Italian sausage (mild or hot, removed from casings)
- 12 ounces penne rigate pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup chicken broth (low-sodium)
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh basil for garnish (optional)
- 1 cup pasta water (reserved from cooking)
Instructions
- Prep ingredients: Dice onion, mince garlic, and measure cream and broth. Grate Parmesan cheese.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Do not rinse pasta.
- While pasta cooks, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage, breaking it into small chunks. Cook for 5-7 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove sausage to a plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, cooking for 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
- Pour in chicken broth and simmer for 2 minutes, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add heavy cream and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for 3-4 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Reduce heat to low. Stir in Parmesan cheese gradually until melted. Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute.
- Add the drained pasta and cooked sausage back into the skillet. Toss to coat. Add reserved pasta water as needed to reach desired consistency.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cold butter for glossiness before serving.
Notes
Save the starchy pasta water; it helps the sauce cling to the pasta. Use fresh Parmesan only, as pre-grated cheese contains anti-caking agents that can make the sauce grainy. If using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze out all excess water. For a lighter version, substitute half-and-half for heavy cream.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories: 680
- Sugar: 4
- Sodium: 920
- Fat: 32
- Saturated Fat: 16
- Carbohydrates: 65
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 28
Keywords: sausage and spinach pasta, weeknight dinner, one skillet meal, creamy pasta, easy dinner, Italian sausage, penne recipe