20-Minute Sausage Pasta Skillet — This sausage and pasta recipe is a quick and easy skillet meal with incredible flavor, perfect for weeknight dinners with family. Delicious chunks of Italian sausage are combined with tomato garlic sauce, onion, red peppers, penne pasta, basil and shaved parmesan cheese for a healthy and comforting meal. You’ll love every bite of this easy pasta recipe.
Table of Contents
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Ingredients list for the Sausage Pasta Skillet
- 1 package Italian sausage, 5 or 6 sausages total
- 1 lb (450g) penne pasta
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small red onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
- 4 large ripe tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons crushed tomato
- 1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed chili pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, crushed in a mortar
- 1 scallion, sliced, for garnish
- Fresh chopped basil, for garnish
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Directions
1. To make the sausage pasta skillet: Cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and set aside.
2. Heat a bit of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausages and cook until browned on all sides. You can add 1/4 cup (60ml) of water so they don’t blacken and stick to the pan. When the sausages are almost cooked, transfer to a cutting board.
3. In the same skillet (remove water but keep the brown bits), add 1 tablespoon oil and sauté onions with crushed fennel seeds, crushed chili pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning. Add the garlic, ground tomato and continue to sauté for a couple of minutes, stirring constantly. Then add bell pepper and diced tomatoes and cook until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir in broth and cook for another minute or so. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Slice sausage into 1/4 or 1/2-inch pieces and add back to the skillet with other ingredients. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, until sausage is cooked through and sauce is thickened.
5. Add pasta to the skillet and reheat for a couple of minutes, stirring gently to coat the pasta with the sauce. Garnish the sausage pasta skillet with basil, chopped scallion, and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Tips for the sausage pasta skillet recipe
This 20-minute sausage pasta recipe is quick, easy, and uses easy-to-find ingredients. It’s a perfect weeknight dinner that tastes as it came from a restaurant! Here are a few tips to make the best sausage pasta ever:
- Make sure you don’t skip fennel seeds as they add a lot to the flavor of the dish.
- If you don’t use penne, use pasta that holds the sauce well, such as farfalle or rotini.
- You can use different sausages to vary the taste: chicken sausage or turkey kielbasa make great alternatives.
What other readers say about this sausage pasta recipe
“Simple and so yummy!” – Sharon
“I made this on a Monday evening, a perfect weeknight meal, I only had access to pork sausages, tinned tomatoes, and I didn’t have fennel seeds or Parmesan cheese. It was very tasty, we loved it, it will be a regular go-to for me. I also topped with shredded cheddar cheese and garnished with parsley. I’m looking forward to making it again with different sausages” – New
“This was really easy and very good” – Mamie
“Loved this dish! Very easy, filling, and delicious. I added potatoes, asparagus, and zucchini. What I liked is that you could add or take away things and it still had an amazing taste! A must-try🥰” – Esperanza
“So tasty so easy” – Debbie
“Changed a bit due to what we had available. Really easy to prepare and clean up. A crowd-pleaser for sure. Also, I suggest adding a little cinnamon and nutmeg. Gave a little extra flavor to the sauce and pasta and made the perfect fall dish.” – Mary
How and for how long to store the sausage pasta
Keep the sausage pasta leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. You can reheat the dish in the microwave or in a skillet, with a few tablespoons water to loosen the sauce.
More pasta recipes you might like
- 15-Minute Chicken Stir Fry Noodles
- Tomato Spinach Sausage Pasta
- Parmesan Spinach Mushroom Pasta Skillet
- Tomato Spinach Shrimp Pasta
Photo credit: © Eatwell101.com
Leave a Reply
Lourdes
2024-09-25 18:16:41
Easy and delicious! My husband loves it….and he very picky about foods! He loves pasta dishes! Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Tracy
2024-09-24 22:09:35
I spend time perusing recipes, but never follow them. I ALWAYS tweak them because they are never quite right. That changed today! I read the ingredients and decided to make it as written. I am SO glad I did! This recipe is AMAZING! I made it exactly as written and then immediately sent it to my daughter.! It's quick and easy but tastes like it took much longer to cook. Thanks so much!
Sharon
2023-10-19 13:21:06
This was very tasty! Had some (unplanned) substitutions. My tomatoes went bad so I used 2 cans of diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes and Spicy Premio Sausage. We like saucy so I'll probably double it next time. I've already shared the recipe with friends!
Marjorie
2023-09-24 15:53:02
Easily one of the most delicious and best recipes I’ve ever tried because it’s simply amazing. I was looking for something easy to make and to start my cooking skills and this dish was simple to follow and had inexpensive ingredients. I had never used fennel seeds before, but they added a different flavor to the dish which is why it was written in. Would 10/10 recommend and do again!
James
2023-04-15 23:49:27
I made this tonight and it was delicious. Did not have fennel, tomatoes to crush, parsley, and was missing a few other items. I used smoked sausage links instead of ground sausage and oregano for parsley. I also saved 2 cups of the pasta water before draining. I used half a cup of that water with some bullion for the half cup of broth and some garlic and basil pasta sauce, about 3/4 of a can of Wal-Mart brand, in place of crushed/blended tomatoes. After adding pasta I used some of the remaining pasta water to thin out and/or add moisture to the sauce. Other then that, lol, I followed the recipe as close as possible. It came out amazing. This recipe is so versatile that you can substitute almost anything, including leftovers to tweek it to you and your families personal tastes without ruining the basic/core flavor profile. Will definitely use this recipe again. Thanks Eatwell.
Cindy Beharry
2023-01-18 11:35:30
I tried this recipe. Very delicious, great recipe. Thank you for posting it!!!!
Kathy E.
2022-12-15 18:46:14
This was really good! My hubby isn’t a big pasta fan, but he cleaned his plate tonight! No ripe tomatoes here in Iowa in December, so I subbed a can of tomato sauce. I also added a handful of chopped kale. We will enjoy this again!
Lee kelly
2022-12-06 17:58:18
Was great! Didn’t use the garnishes but man it was so good. I’ll keep this recipe for the future.
Sharon Lee
2022-08-07 07:32:49
This was a keeper! I will use this recipe again. I used a lb of Rotina per the instructions. 8 oz would have been a better choice because the sauce is sooo good.
Chris S
2022-07-23 19:14:49
Very good recipe. Only thing I changed is add a half cup of white cooking wine
Dawn G
2022-07-06 20:04:19
Very good, even for leftovers! Have everything prepped or it takes longer to make. Will definitely make it again.
Nancy
2022-04-20 12:03:04
This was great! The only thing I did different was instead of the tomato and tomato sauce, I added almost a whole jar of Classico sauce. I think I used fire roasted tomato and garlic!
Lori
2022-03-17 20:08:31
I used Beyond Meat Italian Sausage and then followed the recipe exactly as written. Delicious!
Olympia
2022-03-15 20:46:06
Like Susan, I needed a quick & easy way to use leftover sausage. This was a great way to use my leftover mixed bulk sausages and TVP, and I sliced a whole sausage into half-moons for presentation. I used the rigatoni I had on hand, adjusted the seasonings to my family's preferences, and used red wine for deglazing (and cut the heat of the chili flakes). The basil strips and Parmesan shavings sent it off the charts! Once I strike the ultimate balance, this will definitely go into my rotation. It's also a good basis to explore other ethnic dishes that use pasta or noodles--with the appropriate ingredient and seasoning substitutions and adjustments.
Rahab
2022-01-07 10:24:00
I needed a quick recipe last night and gave this a try. It came out really great. Thank you
Susan
2021-10-31 20:05:43
Needed a quick recipe for leftover sausage, easy and delicious.
Judith
2021-10-14 20:31:24
Very tasty. Had to used spagetti added parsley and cut crushed red peppers in half......it was a hit.
Pat
2021-08-24 18:43:15
This was the best! The flavors were incredible. I used Beyond Italian sausages and the flavors blended so well. My carnivorous husband even loved the plant based switch. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal. Thanks so much for sharing.
Angie
2021-04-23 18:29:34
This was fantastic! My family and I loved it! Only thing I did differently was instead of the 2 til crushed tomato, I used an entire 15 oz can! More sauce that way! Topped with cheddar and parmesan cheese, it was a hit! My family did say that next time instead of sausage links, they'd prefer the ground type.
Stu
2021-04-21 06:26:14
I had a packet of pork sausages in the fridge and was wondering what to do with them. This was the answer. :) My slight modifications were: Remove the skin from the sausages before cooking, and I used chinese five spice instead of itlalian and a little more chilli. I'm still licking my lips :) Thanks!
Joyce
2021-03-02 17:16:35
This is an awesome recipe. Since finding it online, I have made it at least 3 times in 4 weeks. It will be one of my go to dinners from now on. So easy and quick!
Sam
2021-03-01 14:37:19
Absolutely delicious! Flavours work beautifully together
