This deliciously creamy sausage pasta makes an easy, quick and comforting dinner that the whole family will love! It is bold, a little spicy, cheesy and completely delicious – and can be in just 20 minutes with minimal prep! Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Why you’ll love this recipe
A stockpile of quick and easy weeknight dinners is essential for any busy family! When you are hungry, but short on time, a simple go-to pasta recipe can be a lifesaver. And this is one you’ll want to make again and again! Here’s why;
- Quick and easy – fast dinner with minimal prep and clean up! The sauce can be prepared in the time that it takes to cook the pasta, making it such a quick and easy dish.
- Family friendly – I keep the spice level family-friendly for my kids, but you can turn the heat up or down to suit your taste. If you like, it can also be adapted to add your favourite vegetables to boost the veggie content.
- So delicious – everyone loves this pasta. Featuring smoky sausage, flavourful Cajun spices, cream, tomatoes and cheese, it is full of big, bold flavours that the whole family will love!
- Affordable – using sausages, pasta and basic fridge and pantry staples, it is a cheap and filling dinner that can be stretched even further with more veggies.
- Freezer friendly – the whole dish, or just the sauce can be frozen and heated on busy nights when you need a quick dinner.
What you’ll need
** This post contains tips and instructions to achieve the best possible results. The photo above is a great guide for when you are in the supermarket, but for full ingredient quantities and methods, please scroll down to the detailed recipe card below!
Ingredient notes
- Sausage – the star ingredient! While any type of sausage will work, I do recommend using the best quality sausage you can, as the type of sausage used will slightly alter the final flavour. Pork, beef or even chicken sausages can be used. I love to use the gourmet smoky Chipotle chilli Angus beef sausages from Woolworths to add to the depth of flavour in the sauce, but any will work.
You can regular sausages for finely chopped chorizo or Andouille sausage. This recipe will also work with leftover sausages. Simply chop them and stir them through the sauce to heat through.
- Pasta – I recommend small, bite sized pasta over longer strands, as the creamy sauce will soak into every last nook and cranny! When it comes to pasta, choose your favourite! I use fusilli (spiral pasta) or casarecce. But bow tie pasta with sausage is great too.
You can use penne or even your favourite filled ravioli or tortellini. For gluten-free pasta, substitute gluten-free brown rice pasta or a pulse pasta like lentil or chickpea.
- Parmesan cheese – I recommend using fresh parmesan or pecorino romano, rather than pre-packaged shredded cheese for the following reasons; pre-grated cheese can be coated in preservatives to prevent mold. But that also means that it won’t melt completely into the pasta sauce and will clump, causing a lumpy sauce that won’t thicken.
The melted cheese works to thicken the sauce, so a good quality, fresh cheese is recommended for both flavour and texture.
- Cream – I recommend using a thickened (heavy) cream or cooking cream for best results, as it is less likely to split. Add the cream on low heat (right before turning off the heat) to prevent splitting. Low or reduced fat cream can also be used.
- Herbs and spices – this recipe uses a mixture of paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic and onion powder and Cayenne pepper. Make sure you use sweet Hungarian paprika, rather than hot or smoky paprika.
- Cayenne – this ingredient can be skipped or reduced, if you prefer to keep it mild. Adjust the quantities to suit your taste. I add 1 teaspoon and my kids are still able to eat it (happily!).
Step by step instructions
**Full ingredient list and detailed step-by-step instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
To make the sauce;
While the pasta is cooking in a big pot of salted water, start on the sauce.
- First, the onion and garlic is fried together together with the olive oil until soft (about 2-3 minutes).
- Then, the crumbled sausage meat (removed from the casings) and capsicum are fried in the pan along with the spices.
- The tomato paste, stock and canned tomatoes are then added and simmered.
- When the sauce is almost done, the cream and grated parmesan cheese is added on low heat and stirred. *Once the heat has been turned off, the cheese will continue to thicken the sauce.
- Add the spinach leaves and stir, until they have wilted.
- Add the drained pasta and stir to combine.
Toss the pasta through the sauce and allow to sit for a couple of minutes for the sauce to thicken before serving. Serve with extra parmesan cheese.
Expert tips
- For best results, have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to add to the pan. Especially removing the sausage meat from the casings. This makes cooking the sauce much easier.
- When adding the cream, make sure the heat is low and don’t let it simmer for too long, or it may split. The cream is added at the end and the heat turned off quickly for this reason.
- You’ll notice that this recipe doesn’t contain any additional salt. This is because the parmesan cheese and the sausage, as well as the stock, all add their own seasoning. I love salt and I found that I didn’t need to add any to this recipe. But, you can season at the end according to your personal taste!
- The cheese will thicken the sauce as it rests. Once the cooked pasta has been stirred through, allow it to sit in the pan for a couple of minutes to continue to thicken before serving.
- Variations; try adding a handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the finished sauce. Or, lightly fry some zucchini, grated carrot, peas or corn in the pan with the sausage. This dish is also great for a fridge clean out! Use whatever vegetables you have on hand.
- The Cajun seasoning has a power of bold flavours with smoky, spicy and peppery notes and this pasta really benefits from those flavours. If you do use store-bought Cajun seasoning, you may need to adjust the quantities to achieve a similar depth of flavour.
- While I recommend removing the sausages from their casings and crumbling the meat for maximum flavour distribution, you can skip this step if you are short on time and add sliced sausages or chopped leftover sausage instead.
FAQs
How long does sausage pasta last in the fridge?
This dish can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container.
How do I reheat sausage pasta?
To reheat, add to a large pan with a splash more stock to loosen and cook, stirring, until steaming hot.
Which sausages are best?
Any sausages will work for this recipe, but different sausages will alter the taste of the pasta, so use your favourite! Beef, pork or chicken sausages or even some gourmet sausages with chilli, paprika or smoky notes are a perfect match. Alternatively, you can finely chop/crumble some chorizo or Andouille sausage and follow the recipe as normal. Leftover sausages work great too! Just slice them and stir them through the sauce to heat through.
Can I freeze it?
This dish can also be frozen for 2 months. If you do make it ahead to freeze, I recommend making the sauce only and leave the pasta out, to cook fresh when you want to serve it. This is because the pasta will continue to soak up the sauce, as well as losing some of its texture in the freezer (becoming mushy). It is much nicer eaten fresh, where possible. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight, reheat the sauce and toss through some freshly cooked pasta for a quick and easy dinner.
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Quick Sausage Pasta with Cream
This deliciously creamy sausage pasta makes an easy, quick and comforting dinner that the whole family will love! It is bold, a little spicy, cheesy and completely delicious – and can be in just 20 minutes with minimal prep! Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
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Servings: 6
Calories: 616kcal
Ingredients
Cajun spices
- 2 teaspoons paprika sweet Hungarian paprika, not hot or smoky paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cayenne powder adjust to suit your personal taste, or omit this for a milder pasta.
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
For the pasta
- 400 grams dried pasta Choose your favourite type of pasta.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 green capsicum sliced
- 1 brown onion sliced
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
- 500 grams sausages approx. 6 sausages. Use beef, pork or chicken, or swap for crumbled chorizo or Andouille sausage.
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 ½ cups canned, crushed tomatoes roughly 400 grams
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ½ cup cream thickened or heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese fresh, finely grated
- 3 cups baby spinach leaves
To serve
- extra parmesan cheese freshly grated.
Instructions
- Squeeze the sausage meat from the sausage casings into a bowl and crumble the meat into fine pieces. Set aside. (This step is optional and sliced sausages can be used instead, if preferred).
- Place the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water and cook according to the packet instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, place a large frying pan over low heat and stir the onion and garlic together with the olive oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sausage meat and capsicum. Add the cajun spices, stirring until everything is coated and the sausage meat has started to brown (2-3 minutes).
- Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes and stock and bring to a low simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Turn the heat to low. Carefully add the cream and parmesan cheese and stir for 1-2 minutes until combined and slightly thickened. Turn the heat off and add the spinach leaves, stirring until the leaves have wilted.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, drain it and stir it through the pasta sauce. Allow everything to sit in the pan for 1-2 minutes while the sauce continues to thicken.
- Serve with some more freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve. Enjoy!
Notes
- For best results, have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to add to the pan. Especially removing the sausage meat from the casings. This makes cooking the sauce much easier.
- Any sausages will work for this recipe, so use your favourite! Beef, pork or chicken sausages or even some gourmet sausages with chilli, paprika or smoky notes are a perfect match. Alternatively, you can finely chop/crumble some chorizo or Andouille sausage and follow the recipe as normal. Leftover sausages work great too! Just slice them and stir them through the sauce to heat through.
- When adding the cream, make sure the heat is low and don’t let it simmer for too long, or it may split. The cream is added at the end and the heat turned off quickly for this reason.
- You’ll notice that this recipe doesn’t contain any additional salt. This is because the parmesan cheese and the sausage, as well as the stock, all add their own seasoning. I love salt and I found that I didn’t need to add any to this recipe. But, you can season at the end according to your personal taste!
- The cheese will thicken the sauce as it rests. Once the cooked pasta has been stirred through, allow it to sit in the pan for a couple of minutes to continue to thicken before serving.
- Variations; try adding a handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the finished sauce. Or, lightly fry some zucchini, grated carrot, peas or corn in the pan with the sausage. This dish is also great for a fridge clean out! Use whatever vegetables you have on hand.
- The Cajun seasoning has a power of bold flavours with smoky, spicy and peppery notes and this pasta really benefits from those flavours. If you do use store-bought Cajun seasoning, you may need to adjust the quantities to achieve a similar depth of flavour.
- While I recommend removing the sausages from their casings and crumbling the meat for maximum flavour distribution, you can skip this step if you are short on time and add sliced sausages or chopped leftover sausage instead.
- This dish can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container. To reheat, add to a large pan with a splash more stock to loosen and cook, stirring, until steaming hot.
- Freezing; this pasta can also be frozen for 2 months. If you do make it ahead to freeze, I recommend making the sauce only and leave the pasta out, to cook fresh when you want to serve it. This is because the pasta will continue to soak up the sauce, as well as losing some of its texture in the freezer (becoming mushy). It is much nicer eaten fresh, where possible.
- Please note that the nutrition information is based on the recipe being divided into 6 bowls, with one bowl being one serve. The nutritional information is an estimate only and does not take into account any additional toppings, sauces or sides served with the pasta.
- This recipe is made using Australian cups and spoon measurements. Due to cup sizes varying from country to country, I advise adjusting if necessary.
Nutrition
Calories: 616kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 85mg | Sodium: 1008mg | Potassium: 505mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 2250IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 393mg | Iron: 3mg
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Update Notes: This recipe was originally published in December 2020 but was re-published with new information, helpful tips and photos in July 2022.
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