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This creamy sausage pesto pasta is a quick and easy weeknight dinner that’s full of flavor and ready in less than 30 minutes! Rigatoni is tossed with Italian sausage, pesto, Alfredo sauce, sundried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and plenty of herbs and spices.
Table of Contents
If you love Italian sausage pasta recipes, be sure to try a pot of Italian sausage tortellini soup, dump-and-bake Italian sausage casserole, and this pasta with sausage and spinach, too!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- Quick and Easy. This simple weeknight dinner comes together in about 30 minutes and takes advantage of a lot of pantry staples.
- Flavorful. Thanks to the combination of Italian sausage, cheese, Alfredo sauce, pesto, herbs, and spices, every bite of this meal is packed with delicious flavor. It’s creamy, garlicky, and even a little bit spicy!
- Versatile. There are so many ways to tweak the recipe to suit your preferences. For instance, swap out the spinach and use diced tomatoes or steamed broccoli instead. Try turkey sausage or chicken sausage, or turn it into a pasta bake with a buttery breadcrumb topping. Check out the Recipe Variations section below for even more ideas.
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a pot of pesto sausage pasta. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Pasta: just about any shape works fine! We love rigatoni, but penne, medium shells, rotini, and even spaghetti are great.
- Olive oil: to saute the sausage, onion, and garlic.
- Italian sausage: I purchase a tray of ground Italian sausage for ease, but you can also buy links and just remove the sausage from the casings. Pork sausage, turkey sausage, or chicken sausage are all good.
- Onion and garlic: for savory flavor.
- Alfredo sauce: pick up a jar of your favorite store-bought Alfredo for convenience or make your own at home. This gives the pasta a delicious creamy richness.
- Fresh baby spinach leaves: for nutrition and color.
- Sundried tomatoes: buy the oil-packed tomatoes, which are nice and soft.
- Basil pesto sauce: use a jar of store-bought pesto or make homemade pesto when fresh basil is in season.
- Parmesan cheese: adds rich, salty flavor and creamy texture. Freshly grated is best here.
- Dried basil, dried parsley flakes, and dried oregano: for even more of an Italian flavor boost. Fresh herbs are also nice when they’re available.
- Red pepper flakes: for a spicy kick.
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper: to enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
The Directions
This flavorful, kid-friendly pasta dish comes together in about 30 minutes, and might just become one of your new favorite recipes! You’ll find detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version:
- Boil and drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water.
- Brown the sausage, onion, and garlic.
- Combine the sausage mixture with the pasta, pesto sauce, Alfredo, Parmesan, veggies, herbs, and other seasoning.
- Cook over low heat, just until the spinach wilts.
- Thin the sauce with some of the reserved pasta water, as needed.
- Serve in individual bowls and garnish with fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, or Parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the creamy sausage pesto pasta with any of these sides:
- Crusty Baguette, No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread, or No-knead Skillet Focaccia
- Garlic Bread or Breadsticks
- Cranberry Muffins or Apple Muffins
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, Caesar Salad, or our favorite House Salad with Candied Pecans
- Southern Fried Apples, Baked Apple Slices, or Applesauce
- Roasted Asparagus, Bacon Wrapped Asparagus, or Sauteed Asparagus
- Amish Green Beans with Brown Butter or Southern-Style Green Beans
- Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower or Roasted Broccoli
- Oven-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon or Roasted Root Vegetables
- Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Cabbage
Preparation and Storage Tips
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing this recipe, since pasta tends to get mushy when thawed.
To reheat the pasta, place in a saucepan or skillet, cover, and warm over low heat just until the dish reaches the desired temperature. Add extra pesto, Alfredo, or warm water to moisten the pasta, if necessary. Be careful not to boil or reheat it for too long, or the pasta will get mushy. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What other meat goes well with this pesto pasta recipe? Instead of Italian sausage, try chicken, turkey, pork, shrimp, or salmon.
- Which pasta shapes are best with pesto? Just about any pasta shape is great with pesto, since it clings nicely to everything from long varieties like spaghetti, fettuccine, and linguine, to shorter shapes with ridges and textures to absorb every bit of flavor. We love rigatoni, but penne, farfalle (bowties), medium shells, and fusilli or rotini are all fine options.
- Why add pasta water to this dish? Pasta water is salty and starchy. This water not only helps to thin and loosen the pesto, but it also adds flavor and helps the sauce cling to the pasta better.
Recipe Variations
- Turn it into a pasta bake by transferring the pasta mixture to a greased 2-quart baking dish. Top with shredded mozzarella cheese or buttered panko breadcrumbs. Bake, uncovered, in a 350°F oven until the topping is golden brown, about 25 minutes.
- Use just about any pasta shape that you have on hand. We love rigatoni, but other good options include penne pasta, farfalle (bowties), medium shells, and fusilli or rotini. Long shapes like spaghetti, linguine, and fettuccine are also nice.
- Instead of sausage, try cooked shrimp, chicken, turkey, or salmon.
- Try other vegetables instead of the spinach or sundried tomatoes. Nice alternatives include steamed or boiled broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, zucchini, or bell peppers, a can of drained diced tomatoes, and frozen peas.
- If you have extra time, you can use homemade pesto or about 1 ¾ – 2 cups of homemade Alfredo.
- Fresh basil, parsley, and oregano are nice substitutes for the dried herbs when available.
- Add a bright flavor to the sauce by stirring in some freshly grated lemon zest or lemon juice at the end.
Expert Tips
- Salt the pasta water well. This is your chance to season the noodles, and the salty water also flavors the sauce at the end.
- Boil the pasta just until it’s al dente (tender, but with a firm bite). It will continue to cook in the pot with the sausage and other ingredients, and you don’t want to end up with mushy, overdone noodles.
- Don’t forget to reserve the starchy pasta cooking water, which you’ll need to add to the sauce at the end.
- Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese is best for flavor and texture, but in a pinch you can substitute with a can of powdered, pre-grated Parmesan.
More Easy Pasta Recipes to Try
Dump and Bake Chicken Alfredo Pasta Casserole
48 minutes mins
French Onion Pasta Bake with Spinach and Mushrooms
1 hour hr 25 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Pesto Alfredo Pasta
52 minutes mins
Sausage Pesto Pasta
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Quick and easy sausage pesto pasta is the perfect weeknight dinner!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni (or other short pasta shape)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 lb. ground Italian sausage
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup total)
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed (about 1 teaspoon total)
- 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach
- ¼ cup oil-packed chopped sundried tomatoes, drained
- 3 tablespoons prepared basil pesto
- ¼ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Optional garnish: additional grated Parmesan cheese; chopped fresh herbs such as basil or parsley
Instructions
- In a large pot of well-salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions for al dente. Reserve about 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the sausage and onion. Cook, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink and the onion is tender, about 7-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Drain off excess grease.
- Stir in the cooked pasta, Alfredo sauce, spinach, sundried tomatoes, pesto, Parmesan, basil, parsley flakes, oregano, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (these are spicy, so use sparingly). Stir until well combined.
- Cook over low heat, just until the spinach wilts and everything is heated through. Gradually add small amounts of the reserved pasta cooking water, just until the sauce reaches the desired consistency (you will not need all of the water). Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Divide between individual bowls and garnish with grated Parmesan cheese, extra red pepper flakes, and/or chopped fresh herbs.
Notes
- Salt the pasta water well. This is your chance to season the noodles, and the salty water also flavors the sauce at the end.
- Boil the pasta just until it’s al dente (tender, but with a firm bite). It will continue to cook in the pot with the sausage and other ingredients, and you don’t want to end up with mushy, overdone noodles.
- Don’t forget to reserve the starchy pasta cooking water, which you’ll need to add to the sauce at the end.
- Freshly-grated Parmesan cheese is best for flavor and texture, but in a pinch you can substitute with a can of powdered, pre-grated Parmesan.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 717kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 28gFat: 44gSaturated Fat: 15gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 1054mgPotassium: 731mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1043IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 150mgIron: 3mg
