Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta
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Pasta, chicken sausage and peas all coated in a creamy, spicy sauce is what this Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta is all about! The best part is that it’s ready in under 25 minutes, and it’s still delicious the next day.
Besides my lentil bolognese, this chicken sausage pasta might be my favorite pasta recipe on my site.
You know I’m a huge fan of recipes that use sausage. There’s my one pot gnocchi with sausage, my spicy sausage potato soup and my chorizo sweet potato soup, all of which are reader favorites. Well, this pasta lightens it up just a bit by using chicken sausage — so good!
If you need a quick weeknight meal the whole family will love, this is it!
Ingredient notes
- Pasta – any kind; can use regular or gluten free pasta
- Chicken sausage – preferably Italian, but can also use andouille or any kind other than apple
- Marinara sauce – use your favorite kind! Traditional, tomato basil, arrabbiata, etc.
- Milk – dairy or dairy-free. I used oat milk and it worked great.
- Heavy cream – can sub half and half or omit altogether. If you omit, use extra milk instead.
Method
First: Cook the pasta in a saucepan as you normally would.
Second: Cook chicken sausage in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once it’s cooked, add the butter and garlic and sauté for one minute.
Third: Lower the heat, then add the marinara sauce, milk, cream, peas, and red pepper flakes and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the peas are cooked. Top the whole dish with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and dig in!
Notes
- Don’t want to use heavy cream? Try using half and half instead.
- Gluten free pasta works great in this recipe.
- Top the whole thing off with shaved parmesan, goat cheese or even burrata.
Can I reheat this dish?
Of course! You can easily place it in the microwave, but personally, I think the sauce maintains its flavor and texture a bit better if it’s reheated in a skillet.
What sides go well with this meal?
Technically, this is a one pan kind of meal, since it includes pasta, sausage and peas. But, if you want an additional side, you could try my roasted carrots with pesto or my easy fried brussels sprouts.
More pasta recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 12 oz. pasta
- 2 links chicken sausage, Italian or spicy
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 24 oz. marinara sauce, favorite kind
- 1/2 cup milk, any kind
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, or more
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup parmesan, optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a saucepan as you normally would.
- In a separate large skillet or dutch oven, cook the chicken sausage with the olive oil over medium heat.
- Next, add the butter and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then, reduce heat to medium-low and add the marinara sauce, milk, cream, peas, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper; stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a low simmer and simmer for 2-3 minute or until peas are cooked. Remove from heat, then add parmesan cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Top with more parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in October 2014. It was updated with new text and photos in October 2020.
Dish was easy to make and tasty. However, a full teaspoon of red pepper flakes makes the dish too hot. Next time I would use 1/2 or 1/4 teaspoon
That’s good feedback — Glad you liked the recipe overall!
There are so many recipes like this on the internet but this one is by far the best and it’s so incredibly easy. I make this for my family (including picky little boys) all the time. Sometimes I use fresh spinach instead of peas and tonight I used peas and carrots. Thank you!!
I’m so glad your whole family loves this recipe as much as we do!
I upped the pasta to 16 oz (didn’t want to leave 1/4 of the container to sit in the pantry), but also used a 28 oz jar of Rao’s from Costco. I also only had Aidell’s chicken & apple sausage which I know wasn’t recommended, but the flavor turned out to be really great, sort of sweet like the peas. My husband really loved this recipe, it’s a keeper!
I’m so happy you both liked the pasta!
Loved this recipe. I used aidells smoked chicken sausage with garlic and artichoke. Topped with grana padano cheese. Delicious.
Thanks Jennifer! Glad you loved the pasta!
Absolutely delicious!! Can’t wait to try more of The Almond Eaters recipes!!
Thanks so much Jennifer! Glad you enjoyed the pasta so much!
So good and easy! I used full fat coconut milk to make this dairy free and it was delicious
Thanks Olivia! Great idea!
Quick, tasty meal. It came together easily with pantry and freezer staples. We will definitely make again.
Thanks Denise! Glad you liked the pasta!
Turned out excellent! Beautiful colors and amazing taste! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thanks so much Stephanie! Glad you enjoyed the pasta!
I made this recipe yesterday and thought it was delicious! The only change I made was to cut back on the amount of peas to only 1 cup, and add about 1 cup of small cooked broccoli florets. Will definitely make this again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta, Margaret!