Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta with Spinach
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Creamy Italian sausage pasta is easy to make and super delicious. It's made with spicy or mild (your choice!) Italian sausage cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. You'll love it!
This easy dinner recipe is sure to become your family's favorite. The creamy tomato sauce has tons of flavor, thanks to Italian sausages, a little white wine, and some tomato paste that gets sweet and caramelized when cooked.
Even though it's a real treat, this is a super fast and easy pasta recipe. In just 25 minutes, you can sit at the table (or stand at the stovetop) and dig into this creamy Italian sausage pasta for dinner.
Key ingredients
- Italian sausages – you can choose either mild or spicy Italian sausage, whichever you and your family like better.
- White wine – or sub chicken stock for an alcohol-free version.
- Crushed tomatoes – you can also use diced tomatoes, if that's what you have on hand. Or blend a can of whole tomatoes.
- Cream cheese – this is the special ingredient that makes the Italian sausage pasta incredibly creamy. You could use heavy cream, but cream cheese makes this pasta dish extra creamy.
- Spinach – the little pop of color works great in this recipe. You could also use another green, like kale, but it would need to be cooked a little longer.
How I like to cook the sausage for this pasta
I like to remove the casing (the wrapper) from the sausage and use a wooden spoon to break it apart as it cooks. When cooked this way, you can easily control how big or small you want the pieces to be. Break them up a little, and you'll have big chunks; break them up a lot, and they'll have a texture similar to ground beef.
But it is also delicious sliced into chunks before or after you cook it. Slicing the sausage before cooking it will give you bigger pieces. If you cook the whole sausage first, you can cut it into thin pieces.
How to make pasta with Italian sausage
This is a wonderfully simple recipe that is perfect for a weeknight dinner. Here's how to make it:
- Start by cooking the Italian sausage, onion, and garlic.
- Then, add tomato paste and white wine or stock to the pan.
- Add the canned tomatoes and cream cheese, and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Add the cooked pasta and spinach to the pan, sprinkle a little fresh grated parmesan cheese on top, and dinner is ready.
Sausage pasta recipe variations
We love the recipe exactly as written, but it's also fun to play around with. Here are a few add-ins you can try:
- Something salty like olives or capers
- Extra veggies like sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, or kale
- Herbs like basil or oregano
- Some spicy red pepper flakes
Serving suggestions
This recipe is easily a meal by itself. But if you'd like to add a side dish, some garlic bread and a salad, like some romaine lettuce tossed in my easy Caesar dressing that tastes like the real deal are two great option.
Store and reheat
Store: If you have any leftover pasta after dinner, it can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Use your microwave or reheat them in a pan over medium heat on your stove, adding a little water to the pan.
Freeze: If you'd like to freeze leftover Italian sausage pasta, ensure it is completely cool, then transfer it to a freezer-proof container. I love to use these reusable Stasher freezer bags. Frozen pasta will keep well for up to 3 months in the freezer so you'll have an easy comfort food dinner on hand any time you want it!
Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne (or other short pasta)
- 2 Italian sausages (casings removed – mild or spicy, your choice)
- 1 small onion (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup white wine or chicken stock
- 14 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 4 ounces cream cheese (can be light)
- ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper (more to taste)
- 3 ounces baby spinach
- Grated parmesan (to serve)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water then drain the pot.8 ounces penne
- Add the sausage, onion, and garlic to a large skillet (frying pan) over medium-high heat. Cook, crumbling the sausages with a spoon, until the sausages are cooked, about 6-7 minutes.2 Italian sausages, 1 small onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the tomato paste to the pan and stir it into the sausages. Let it caramelize for 2-3 minutes then add the wine or stock to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to release any flavorful bits that are stuck on.2 tablespoons tomato paste, ½ cup white wine or chicken stock
- Add the crushed tomatoes and cream cheese and simmer the sauce, stirring a few times, until the cream cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.14 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 4 ounces cream cheese, ½ teaspoon EACH: salt and pepper
- Add the cooked penne and spinach and stir them into the sauce. Add a little of the reserved cooking water to loosen the sauce, if needed.3 ounces baby spinach, Grated parmesan
Video
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This dish has become one of our favorites. I make it just as written and we have it 2 or 3 times a month! Thank you!
I love hearing that! Thanks Esther!
The flavor of this pasta dish is absolutely delicious! I asked my husband if we should add it to our menu rotation, and he eagerly said, “without a doubt”. I ended up doubling the batch, and I couldn’t be happier with that decision!
Loved it, I didn’t have creme cheese so I used heavy cream. Worked out just fine.
Definitely repeat! Doubled for 10 people.
I’m giving this recipe an absolute 5 but I did make the minor adjustment of adding more garlic than what is listed in the ingredients because we like a lot of garlic. Nothing else was modified. That being said this dish was a hit in our house even with the picky eater. I’ll be making it again in the future. Thanks for sharing Kristen!
Just made this and loved it! Subbed cream cheese for ricotta and it was delicious
Great recipe! Will be making again!
I found your recipe after searching for what to make with the few things I had in the kitchen last night. So happy that I found this recipe! I’ll make it again even when I have more ingredients on hand. It was great!
Kristen I just love all your recipes – I don’t use all of them but have used many. They are so accessible and the ingredients, at least for me, are mostly pantry ready. Thank you for your wonderful blog and your great ideas!
Thank you so much! You just made my day!