What to Make With Pasta and Sausage: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners
Pasta and sausage is a weeknight that already has a sauce hiding in the sausage. Brown it, add tomato or just pasta water, and you don't need a long ragù. These three are a one-pot, a skillet with broccoli-free garlic and chili, and a baked skillet if the oven is free. Under 30 minutes if the pasta is short. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Quick picks: 3 dinners with pasta and sausage in 30 minutes or less
Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner
20 min
Skillet sausage and pasta
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Sausage, garlic, and chili toss with pasta and the water it cooked in.
Ingredients
- 12 oz sausage
- 12 oz pasta
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 tsp chili flakes
- 1/2 tsp salt
Steps
- Boil the pasta in salted water. Save a cup of the cloudy water.
- Brown the sausage in a skillet, breaking or slicing it.
- Add the garlic and chili flakes for 30 seconds.
- Toss the pasta in with splashes of pasta water until it looks glossy. Taste before more salt.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
One-pan or sheet-pan option
25 min
One-pot sausage pasta
Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Sausage, crushed tomato, and dry pasta finish in one pot.
Ingredients
- 12 oz sausage
- 8 oz pasta
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups water
- 2 cloves garlic
Steps
- Brown the sausage in a pot. Add the garlic and tomatoes.
- Add the water and the dry pasta.
- Simmer, stirring a few times, until the pasta is tender.
- Rest a few minutes. Add water if it tightens up before you serve it.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
The other dinner
30 min
Baked sausage pasta skillet
Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly
Cooked pasta and sausage under a little cheese, broiled in the skillet you already used.
Ingredients
- 8 oz sausage
- 8 oz pasta
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
Steps
- Cook the pasta until it is not quite done. Drain it.
- Brown the sausage in an oven-safe skillet and stir in the tomato sauce and pasta.
- Scatter the cheese.
- Broil until the cheese spots brown. Stay at the oven. This takes a couple of minutes, not ten.
Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.
Make it with leftovers
Cooked sausage slices heat in the skillet sauce. Leftover pasta skips the boil there too. The one-pot wants dry pasta so it drinks the tomato. Don't put soft leftover noodles into that pot or they turn to mush.
Pantry staples you'll need
- Salt
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Tomato paste
- Chili flakes
No pasta: serve the sausage with peppers. No sausage: garlic and oil on the pasta is dinner, and the nothing-in-the-fridge page starts there.
Picky-eater and healthy tweaks
Mild sausage, tomato, and pasta is the familiar bowl. Chili flakes stay in the jar. Cut the sausage into small coins so it isn't a surprise inside a noodle.
Use a short portion of sausage to season a full pot of pasta, not the other way around. A can of tomatoes beats a cream sauce here.
Have something else in the fridge?
Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.
Snap your fridgeRelated dinners
Questions
What can I make with pasta and sausage in 20 minutes?
Skillet sausage and pasta takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Sausage, garlic, and chili toss with pasta and the water it cooked in.
What's the easiest dinner with pasta and sausage?
Baked sausage pasta skillet is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 30 minutes. Cooked pasta and sausage under a little cheese, broiled in the skillet you already used.
Can I make this with leftover or cooked pasta?
Cooked sausage slices heat in the skillet sauce. Leftover pasta skips the boil there too. The one-pot wants dry pasta so it drinks the tomato. Don't put soft leftover noodles into that pot or they turn to mush.
What else can I add to pasta and sausage for a full meal?
The cards already use sausage, pasta, garlic. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.
Is pasta and sausage a healthy dinner?
Use a short portion of sausage to season a full pot of pasta, not the other way around. A can of tomatoes beats a cream sauce here.
How do I make pasta and sausage kid-friendly?
Mild sausage, tomato, and pasta is the familiar bowl. Chili flakes stay in the jar. Cut the sausage into small coins so it isn't a surprise inside a noodle.
Can I make pasta and sausage in one pan or a sheet pan?
One-pot sausage pasta uses one pot and takes 25 minutes. Sausage, crushed tomato, and dry pasta finish in one pot.
What if I don't have sausage?
No pasta: serve the sausage with peppers. No sausage: garlic and oil on the pasta is dinner, and the nothing-in-the-fridge page starts there.