Julie Clark
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Creamy Sausage Pasta
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This creamy sausage pasta skillet made with ground pork is quick, easy and absolutely delicious. It’s the ideal weeknight dinner with great Italian flavors.
This hearty Italian-style skillet dinner is one of my family’s favorites. It’s an easy dish that’s ready in less than 30 minutes. Filled with pasta, ground pork, Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese, it’s a comforting one pot meal. What’s not to love?
Thanks to the Ohio Pork Council for sponsoring this post and allowing us to share this skillet meal recipe. Ohio has more than 3500 family pork farms that raise enough pork to feed more than 25 million people.
About this Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe:
- Flavor: This skillet casserole dish is filled with Italian flavors. It has all of the flavors of Italian pork sausage, but uses ground pork as a base. The Parmesan cheese adds a rich flavor as well.
- Texture: The sauce on this pasta dish is smooth and creamy. The noodles are al dente which pairs nicely with the browned ground pork.
- Method: My favorite part of this recipe? It uses one pot. Whether that is a large skillet, pan or a dutch oven, this recipe is a breeze to clean up. You’ll cook it on the stovetop.
Is ground pork the same as sausage?
Ground pork is not the same as sausage. Sausage is seasoned ground pork. You may have known that, but you may not know that you can purchase ground pork in the fresh meat section of the grocery store. With every 3 ounces of pork being packed full of 22-24 grams of protein (depending on the cut), it is a great way to fuel your body and make it feel fuller.
In this recipe, I use ground pork and add the seasonings I like. Pre-seasoned sausage sometimes contains sugar, so doing this is a great way to keep the sugar out of your dinner and in your dessert.
Key Ingredients
- Butter. Although you can use olive oil of you’d like, butter adds a savory richness to this pasta dish that is unbeatable.
- Shallot & Garlic. If you can’t find shallot or don’t normally keep it on hand, use a white, sweeter onion.
- Ground Pork. I find that ground pork is very lean. There’s not much fat to drain off at all after browning the meat. Try switch out out ground beef for ground pork in your favorite casseroles.
- Seasonings. This is loaded with seasonings which gives such a great flavor. Pepper, parsley, oregano, Italian seasoning, fennel, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes (for a fun kick of spice) and salt.
- Chicken Broth. This liquid is to help cook the pasta. It’s necessary for this one dish dinner and adds flavor rather than using just water.
- Half & Half. Half and half cream is half whole milk and half heavy cream. It adds a creaminess to the sausage pasta recipe.
- Tomatoes. Petite diced tomatoes are best, especially if you have kids in the house who don’t like large chunks of tomatoes.
- Pasta. Use any pasta shape, but in this recipe I used penne pasta. Rotini works great too.
- Spinach. Fresh spinach or even kale add a touch of color to this dish.
- Parmesan. Buy a block of parmesan and grate it finely to add to this dish. If you use pre-grated parmesan in a canister, it won’t melt smoothly.
How to Make Creamy Sausage Pasta
- Sauté the onions, garlic and butter. Heat the butter in a large skillet, large pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the shallot is softened and translucent.
- Brown and Crumble the Pork. Add the ground pork, black pepper, parsley, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, fennel seed, paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until all of the pork is browned. Drain off any fat.
- Simmer. Pour in the broth, half & half and diced tomatoes (drained). Bring to a gentle simmer. over medium low heat.
- Cook the pasta. Add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Stir several times during this to promote even cooking.
- Add cheese. Turn the heat to low and add in the parmesan cheese, a couple of tablespoons at a time, stirring between each addition to allow the cheese to melt completely before adding more.
- Stir in the spinach. Allow this to sit for a minute or two so that the spinach wilts slightly.
- Garnish and serve. Top with fresh basil and serve immediately.
Recipe Variations
- Use gluten free pasta for a gluten free version of this recipe.
- Add diced peppers (our first choice would be red bell pepper) to the shallots for a different flavor. You could also add diced jalapeño pepper for heat.
- Add mushrooms for flavor and texture.
Make it a Meal
Although this is similar to a casserole and is almost a complete meal in one, here are a few side dish ideas:
Storage Instructions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. This recipe does not freeze the best because of the dairy products.
Reheat any leftovers in the microwave.
Creamy Sausage Pasta
This creamy sausage pasta skillet made with ground pork is quick, easy and absolutely delicious. It’s the ideal weeknight dinner with great Italian flavors.
Servings 8
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 3/4 cup shallot chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fennel seed
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup half & half
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can, drained
- 1 box penne pasta 13.25 ounces
- 3 ounces fresh spinach
- 2 cups shredded parmesan added slowly
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil snipped
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes or until the shallot is softened and translucent.
- Add the ground pork, black pepper, parsley, oregano, Italian seasoning, salt, fennel seed, paprika and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir for 5-7 minutes or until all of the pork is browned. Drain off any fat.
- Pour in the broth, half & half and diced tomatoes (drained). Bring to a gentle boil over medium low heat.
- Add the pasta and cook for about 8 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Stir several times during this to promote even cooking.
- Turn the heat to low and add in the parmesan cheese, a couple of tablespoons at a time, stirring between each addition to allow the cheese to melt completely before adding more.
- Stir in the spinach. Allow this to sit for a minute or two so that the spinach wilts slightly.
- Top with fresh basil and serve immediately.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
Video
Notes
Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 8 servings, with 1 serving being ⅛ of the pasta. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 351kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 1219mg | Potassium: 500mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1557IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 387mg | Iron: 2mg
Other Pork Recipes
Love pork as much as we do? Try one of these recipes:
This was very good and I’d make it again but use less pasta next time.
Can you use coconut milk?
Store it at room temperature, won’t it go bad?