One pot pasta with chicken sausage, spinach and peas is a creamy, tender all-in-one pasta dinner with big flavor that’s ready in just 25 minutes.
Today’s one pot pasta with chicken sausage, spinach and peas is going to be a new dinnertime favorite in your house!
It’s actually a take on my popular one-pot vegetarian spaghetti. As is my one pot creamy chicken and mushroom pasta with peas. Cause one-pot pastas are kinda the best.
I love making new versions too with different ingredients and add-ins. I just need to get better about measuring and recording them so I can share more one-pot pastas with you!
The noodles here get so uber creamy and delicious from cooking in the broth and tomatoes. Everything just simmers away together so that the flavors really meld.
The chicken sausage gives us a big punch of flavor and richness to this dish and makes it even more hearty. (I’ve got notes below on the different options for what kind of chicken sausage to use here.)
We’ve also got some great veggie add-ins, too. The spinach at the end just melts right into the dish and the peas, which you can add frozen, add a little pop of freshness.
And we’ve got TWO cheeses to give this a little extra creaminess and pizazz.
Plus, you can’t beat a delicious dinner that’s ready in 25 minutes and uses just one pot. Totally winning at life!
The leftovers are amazing too. The last time I made this, my husband stole them for lunch the next day. I was so bummed!
(Check out chicken penne pasta with broccoli for another quick and easy dish that also makes for great leftovers.)
Now, I’ve got some notes and tips coming up below on how to make this one pot pasta with chicken sausage recipe. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
Plus, you know I love to offer substitutions and other ideas to help you make this recipe your own. (Or so you can use what you have on hand.)
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on one pot pasta with chicken sausage:
- Make sure to see below for detailed notes on the options for what kind of chicken sausage to use.
- Love veggies? Me too. You can add mushrooms to this if you’d like. Sauté them along with the onions until they wilt and give off most of their liquid.
- Roasted red peppers would go well here too. Slice them and add at the same time as the tomatoes.
- You can use a can of regular diced tomatoes or fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
- Like it spicy? You can use all of, or even more, of the crushed red pepper to give this a little kick. Go for the fire-roasted diced tomatoes too. You could also serve it with some sriracha or hot sauce.
This pasta dish can be as cheesy as you like. Want lots of cheese? Add another cup of shredded mozzarella and some extra Parmesan. Want less cheese? Skip the mozzarella and just use Parmesan.
If you want to make this dairy-free, skip the mozzarella and Parmesan. But I’d recommend adding some nutritional yeast in place of the Parmesan cheese.
As for the spaghetti part, you can use regular or whole grain. You could substitute a thin spaghetti, but you’ll need to adjust the cooking time a bit.
I believe this would also work with a gluten-free spaghetti if you want a gluten-free pasta version.
Also, if you’ve never made a one-pot pasta before, it can feel a little strange. Here’s a couple quick pointers.
Tips on making one-pot pasta:
- You can increase the heat to high to bring your liquids to a boil more quickly. Just reduce the heat back down to medium low to let it simmer and cook after you cover the pot.
- It’s OK if all of the noodles aren’t completely submerged. The steam in the closed pot will help cook them and get them nice and tender.
- It feels strange to put a lid on a pot of pasta, but that’s how we are going to seal in the extra heat and steam and get the pasta cooked through. Trust the process.
- Almost all of the liquid will be absorbed by the cooking process. You'll use what's left to help melt the cheese, wilt the veggies and bring everything together. You may need to let your finished dish sit for a minute or two (as is recommended in this recipe) to help everything finish setting up at the end.
Now, let’s talk about the chicken sausage for this recipe.
I’ve made it several different ways so you can definitely adapt it to what you like best - or just what you are able to find at the store.
Notes on what chicken sausage to use:
- You can use any flavor of chicken sausage that works with these flavors. A sweet Italian style chicken sausage is my go-to, but roasted pepper, sun-dried tomato or a roasted garlic flavor would work well too.
- A fully cooked sausage, like Al Fresco or Aidells, makes this an even quicker, easier recipe. You’ll just give your pieces a quick sear to add some flavor.
- But you can use a raw chicken sausage too. (I’ve done both ways, depending on what I have.) Just remove the casing, cook the sausage through, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooks, and proceed with the recipe.
- Finally, you could also substitute a raw turkey sausage and use that instead. Very flexible, very forgiving.
That’s highly important right now, isn’t it?!
OK, let’s move on to any leftovers you might be luckily enough to have.
How to store leftover one pot pasta:
- The leftovers, once cooled, can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for lunch or a quick dinner.
- You can also freeze the leftovers. Let the pasta cool, then place in a freezer-safe container or bag that’s been labeled and dated. Freeze for up to 6 months.
- Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat in the microwave.
I hope you give this a try. Deliciousness awaits!
(If you do make it, please leave me a comment below and/or tag me on Instagram - I love seeing your creations!)
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. Check out these other healthy one-pot chicken dinners for more cooking inspiration.
You can also sign up for free e-newsletter to get all of my new recipes delivered straight to your inbox so you never miss a thing. I’ll even send you my free e-cookbook, Healthy Weeknight Dinners, as a thank you!
One pot pasta with chicken sausage, spinach and peas
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 (12 oz.) package chicken sausage, sliced in ¼-inch pieces (see notes)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes (undrained)
- 10 oz. spaghetti noodles
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a tight fitting lid over medium heat.
- Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken sausage. If using a fully cooked chicken sausage, simply brown the pieces in the pan for 2-3 minutes to add some extra flavor. If using a raw chicken sausage, remove it from the casings and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until the sausage is cooked through.
- Add the garlic, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes and stir well.
- Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. (You can increase the heat temporarily to make this happen faster.)
- Add the spaghetti noodles and stir lightly to get them distributed. It’s OK if they aren’t completely submerged in the liquid.
- Cover the pot and cook over medium low to medium heat, maintaining a simmer, for 6-7 minutes.
- Uncover the pot, add the spinach and peas and stir to mix through. Turn off the heat, cover the pot again and let it sit for 2-3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted, the peas are warmed through and the noodles are al dente.
- Add the cheeses, stir to combine and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Marissa Welsh
This was delicious! I used whole wheat thin spaghetti and it worked very well. Thank you!