Pasta, chicken sausage and peas all coated in a creamy, spicy sauce is what this Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta is all about! The best part is that it's ready in under 25 minutes, and it's still delicious the next day.
Besides my lentil bolognese, this chicken sausage pasta might be my favorite pasta recipe on my site.
You know I'm a huge fan of recipes that use sausage. There's my one pot gnocchi with sausage, my spicy sausage potato soup and my chorizo sweet potato soup, all of which are reader favorites. Well, this pasta lightens it up just a bit by using chicken sausage -- so good!
If you need a quick weeknight meal the whole family will love, this is it!
Ingredient notes
- Pasta - any kind; can use regular or gluten free pasta
- Chicken sausage - preferably Italian, but can also use andouille or any kind other than apple
- Marinara sauce - use your favorite kind! Traditional, tomato basil, arrabbiata, etc.
- Milk - dairy or dairy-free. I used oat milk and it worked great.
- Heavy cream - can sub half and half or omit altogether. If you omit, use extra milk instead.
Method
First: Cook the pasta in a saucepan as you normally would.
Second: Cook chicken sausage in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Once it's cooked, add the butter and garlic and sauté for one minute.
Third: Lower the heat, then add the marinara sauce, milk, cream, peas, and red pepper flakes and simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the peas are cooked. Top the whole dish with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and dig in!
Notes
- Don't want to use heavy cream? Try using half and half instead.
- Gluten free pasta works great in this recipe.
- Top the whole thing off with shaved parmesan, goat cheese or even burrata.
Can I reheat this dish?
Of course! You can easily place it in the microwave, but personally, I think the sauce maintains its flavor and texture a bit better if it's reheated in a skillet.
What sides go well with this meal?
Technically, this is a one pan kind of meal, since it includes pasta, sausage and peas. But, if you want an additional side, you could try my roasted carrots with pesto or my easy fried brussels sprouts.
More pasta recipes
If you made this recipe, be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Thanks!
Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. pasta
- 2 links chicken sausage Italian or spicy
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 24 oz. marinara sauce favorite kind
- ½ cup milk any kind
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup parmesan optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a saucepan as you normally would.
- In a separate large skillet or dutch oven, cook the chicken sausage with the olive oil over medium heat.
- Next, add the butter and garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Then, reduce heat to medium-low and add the marinara sauce, milk, cream, peas, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper; stir to combine.
- Bring mixture to a low simmer and simmer for 2-3 minute or until peas are cooked. Remove from heat, then add parmesan cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and stir to combine. Top with more parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
UPDATE NOTE: This post was originally published in October 2014. It was updated with new text and photos in October 2020.
Cyndi says
Thank you Erin! Absolutely delicious. My husband needs low sodium dishes and I made this with reduced sodium sausage and pasta sauce. It was absolutely delicious and with the spice we did not even miss the sodium. We will definitely have this again.
Erin says
This makes me happy to hear -- I'm glad you both liked the pasta!
Gemma Spooner says
Really tasty and easy dish to make for all the family
Erin says
Thanks for the review -- I'm glad everyone enjoyed the pasta!
Margaret says
Delicious! I had left over spinach and grape tomatoes, so I used those instead of peas ( before they went bad). My husband and kids all loved it!
Erin says
Happy to hear the whole family approved 🙂 Thanks for the comment!
Anamit Sen says
So glad to find a recipe for chicken sausages!! While I love pork and beef, as a renal patient on dialysis I am not allowed to eat them any more. I look forward to recipes with chicken...however I have to stay away from tomatoes as well as...what can I substitute the marinara sauce with?🤔
Erin says
Hi! Great question -- if you can't do anything tomato-based, I might suggest pesto. I have a kale pesto recipe, though if you don't love kale you could always sub spinach. Here's the link to the pesto if you want to give that a try: https://thealmondeater.com/kale-pesto/
Lindsay says
I made this with almond milk and dairy free heavy cream so my milk allergy son could eat it. It was absolutely excellent. 3 kids ate it all up and Mom and Dad loved it. Was a perfect Sunday meal and loved that it converted over to dairy free flawlessly. Thanks for the recipe!
Erin says
I'm so happy your son was able to enjoy this recipe and that the whole family approved!
Jess says
I made this dish, tweaked it just a bit with my homemade tomato sauce. But oh my!! How delicious!! This will be a definite dish in my rotation of recipes for the family. Love it!!
Erin says
This makes me so happy! Glad it'll be making it into your recipe rotation 🙂
Allison says
Can I freeze this? If so, any tips or changes that need to be made?
Erin says
Yep! No changes need to be made, but I would store the cooked pasta in a baking dish with a lid so it's easier to reheat in the oven when you want to eat it.
Kensey says
I'd love to make this but I'm really not a fan of frozen peas so I don't have any. Can I sub for canned or use a different vegetable? I'm thinking no on the canned because they'd get mushy.
Erin says
Good question! You're right -- I wouldn't use canned peas. Maybe try spinach or kale, or even zucchini or asparagus would work well too.
Megan says
I love this recipe, thank you!
Laura Beth says
This would be delicious over rice as well. Use pre-cooked frozen rice to make it even quicker.
Christopher Cahillane says
Easy to make. Very flavorful. Used half and half as opposed to heavy cream, and came out perfect. This recipe will be going into our heavy rotation.
Erin says
Thanks Chris -- so glad you liked the recipe!
Cheryl Ford says
This recipe was easy to make, using common ingredients I already had available. I used half and half instead of heavy cream but the texture was still creamy. This is an easy week-day recipe to make because you make everything in one pan. It's simple but delicious. I know I will be making this recipe often as it was a favorite of my husband's as well!
Lorrie Roa says
This looks fantastic. I love that you added spinach into this classic dish. I can never say no to fettuccine alfredo, so I know I would devour this all in no time!
Spinach and alfredo go so well together and the fact that you lightened it up makes it so much better. Fettuccine Alfredo is a favorite of my children! I love how you used greek yogurt in your alfredo sauce! Beats the stuff in a jar with ingredients ten fold! I love the fact that your fettuccine alfredo has spinach. This looks so easy to make!
Davida @ The Healthy Maven says
Hope everything goes well at the doc! I quite literally feel your pain. Sending you oodles of hugs and smiles 🙂
I love any pasta dish with pesto and shrimp!
TheAlmondEater says
Thanks girl. Hugging you back through the blog! We must remember this pain is only temporary.
Jessie says
I've never been or heard of Buca Di Beppo before, but this recipe sounds incredible. I don't eat sausage, but I love the twist of substituting shrimp instead.
Hope your chiropractor appointment went well today <3
TheAlmondEater says
Thank you! I actually had X rays taken and should get results by Monday so we'll see!