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This Italian sausage pasta is rich, hearty, and comes together in one pan — creamy sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, wilted spinach, and perfectly seasoned sausage all clinging to rigatoni. It’s the kind of dinner that feels indulgent but is honestly not that hard to pull off on a weeknight.
Why You’ll Love It
- One pan sauce — less cleanup, more flavor from all those browned bits
- Deep, savory flavor — the sausage and herbs do most of the heavy lifting
- Sun-dried tomatoes cut right through the cream — that little punch of brightness makes the whole dish
- Great leftovers — reheats beautifully and tastes just as good the next day
- Endlessly adaptable — works with whatever medium pasta shape you have on hand
A Few Notes on Ingredients
The sausage: I use sweet Italian but I’ve made it with hot and honestly that’s also great, maybe better if you’re in a particular mood. Whatever you do, buy the loose kind if you can, not the links you have to squeeze out of casings. Life is too short for that.
The sun-dried tomatoes need to be the ones packed in oil, not the dry-packed kind. And drain them well — I usually lay them on a paper towel for a minute because if you don’t, the sauce gets greasy and the flavor goes sideways in a way that’s hard to fix.
Heavy whipping cream. Not half-and-half, not light cream. I’ve tried to lighten this up and it doesn’t work the way you want it to.
Parmesan — fresh grated, not the green can. I know the green can has its place in this world (I am not a snob, I grew up eating it on spaghetti out of a jar) but for a sauce like this you want the real stuff.
Marjoram is the herb that makes people go “wait, what is that.” I couldn’t tell you where I first started using it in this but it’s been in here long enough that I’d miss it. Don’t skip it.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, loose (sweet or hot, your call)
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper — I probably use more
- ¼ teaspoon crushed rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper (more if you want it)
- 12 ounces uncooked rigatoni
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1½ cups heavy whipping cream
- ⅔ cup freshly grated parmesan
- ⅔ cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 4 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
- Salt to taste
Instructions
Start with the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I use a wide, heavy pan — not a nonstick if I can help it, because you want the fond, those brown bits that stick to the bottom. That’s flavor, not a mistake. Break the sausage up as you go, but not too aggressively. You want a mix of small crumbly pieces and a few chunkier ones. Variety in texture is a thing that matters here more than it sounds like it should.
After three or four minutes, when it’s starting to look less raw, add the onion right in with it. Keep cooking until the sausage is browned and the onion is soft and translucent — probably another five to seven minutes. Then turn the heat down to low and add the garlic and all the dried herbs: the marjoram, pepper, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper. Stir constantly for just about a minute. I’ve burned garlic plenty of times in my life by walking away during this step, so I’m telling you now.
Scoop the whole sausage mixture out into a bowl and cover it with foil to keep it warm. Meanwhile — and you should’ve started this already, honestly, though I never do — cook your pasta according to the package. Salt the water, cook it till it’s just done, drain it well.
Back to the skillet: add the chicken broth and use your spoon to scrape up everything that stuck to the bottom. This is the good part. Once you’ve got that deglazed, pour in the cream and bring it to a boil, then drop it to a simmer. Now you wait. This is the step people rush and shouldn’t — the cream and broth need to reduce by about half, which can take up to twenty minutes, maybe a little more if your simmer’s running low. I usually use this time to set the table, pour myself something, stare out the window at nothing in particular.
When it’s thickened up and looks glossy and coating-the-spoon-y, turn the heat to low and stir in the parmesan, the sun-dried tomatoes, and the spinach. The spinach will wilt down fast — just keep stirring gently. Once the cheese is melted and everything is incorporated, add the sausage mixture back in along with the drained pasta. Toss to coat. Taste for salt. Let it sit over low heat for a few minutes until it’s all heated through and smelling like something you want to eat immediately.
Variations
Penne, ziti, cavatappi, medium shells — they all work. I’d avoid spaghetti or anything long and thin because the sauce is too heavy for it and it just kind of clumps.
I tried it once with chicken instead of sausage, during a phase where I was trying to make things lighter. It was fine. I don’t make it that way anymore.
If you wanted to add mushrooms, I think they’d be good in there — in with the onions at the start. I just never have them when I’m in the mood for this dish.
Storage
Leftovers keep in the fridge for about three days in whatever container has a lid. Because of how much cream is in the sauce, I don’t recommend freezing it — not because it would hurt you, it just comes back weird and watery and sad, and this dish deserves better than that.
Reheat on the stovetop with a splash of broth or water if it’s gotten thick. Microwave works too, just go low and slow and stir halfway through.
I usually serve this with some crusty bread and a simple salad, if I’ve thought that far ahead. Sometimes just the bread. Sometimes nothing at all except the pasta itself and someone finally sitting down at the table.
Italian Sausage Pasta with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage loose, sweet or hot
- 1 onion small, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp dried marjoram
- 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 1/4 tsp crushed rosemary
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 12 oz rigatoni uncooked
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2/3 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
- 4 cups baby spinach loosely packed
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into pieces, until browned. Add onion and cook until softened.
- Reduce heat and add garlic, marjoram, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir for about 1 minute.
- Remove sausage mixture and set aside. Cook pasta according to package directions, then drain.
- In the same skillet, add chicken broth and scrape up browned bits. Add cream and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer until sauce reduces and thickens, about 15–20 minutes.
- Stir in parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach until spinach wilts and cheese melts.
- Return sausage and pasta to the skillet. Toss to coat and heat through.
- Season with salt to taste and serve warm.