Quick One-Pot Sausage Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Spinach
A modern twist on comfort food: savory Italian sausage, sweet cherry tomatoes, and vibrant baby spinach come together with al dente penne in a single ...
4 servings
Italian-American Cuisine
🔵Easy★★☆☆☆
Jul 27, 2025
29 views
Ingredients
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3 cup
low-sodium chicken broth
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1 small
yellow onion
finely diced
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0.5 cup
Parmesan cheese
freshly grated, plus extra for serving
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12 ounce
Italian sausage
casing removed, crumbled
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1 cup
water
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12 ounce
dry penne pasta
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3 clove
garlic cloves
minced
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0.5 teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
adjust to heat preference
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4 cup
baby spinach
loosely packed
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0.25 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
plus more to taste
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2 tablespoon
olive oil
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2 cup
cherry tomatoes
halved
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0.25 cup
fresh basil leaves
torn, for garnish (optional)
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0.75 teaspoon
kosher salt
plus more to taste
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1 teaspoon
dried oregano
Categories:🥩protein🥬vegetable🍎fruit🌾grain🥛dairy🌶️spice🫒oil💧liquid📦other
Instructions
Step 1
Warm the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or deep sauté pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers but is not smoking, about 30 seconds.
Step 2
Add the Italian sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon into bite-size crumbles; cook until well browned and fond forms on the pan bottom, 4–5 minutes. Browning intensifies flavor, so avoid constant stirring.
Step 3
Stir in the yellow onion and cook until translucent and lightly caramelized around the edges, 2–3 minutes, scraping up browned bits to incorporate their flavor.
Step 4
Add the garlic cloves, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried oregano; sauté just until fragrant, about 30 seconds, to bloom the spices without burning the garlic cloves.
Step 5
Pour in the cherry tomatoes and cook 1 minute, letting their juices deglaze remaining fond and begin forming the sauce's base.
Step 6
Scatter the dry penne pasta evenly in the pot, then add the low-sodium chicken broth and water. Season with the kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper; stir, ensuring the dry penne pasta is fully submerged—add a splash of water if needed so liquid covers pasta by roughly 1⁄4 inch.
Step 7
Bring the mixture to a vigorous simmer, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring every 2 minutes to prevent sticking, until the dry penne pasta is al dente and the liquid has reduced to a glossy sauce, 10–11 minutes.
Step 8
Fold in the baby spinach; cook uncovered, stirring, just until the baby spinach wilts, about 1 minute. If the sauce tightens, adjust with a tablespoon or two of water for desired silkiness.
Step 9
Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted and emulsified, creating a cohesive sauce that clings to the dry penne pasta.
Step 10
Taste and adjust seasoning with additional kosher salt or freshly ground black pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil leaves and a shower of extra Parmesan cheese.
✨Chef's Tips
- ★Slice the cherry tomatoes while the Italian sausage browns—staggering prep with cook time shaves minutes off the total and keeps the recipe truly quick.
- ★Frequent stirring during the simmer prevents the dry penne pasta from sticking and releases starch that naturally thickens the sauce, eliminating the need for cream.
- ★Keep a little extra low-sodium chicken broth nearby; pasta brands differ in starch content, and a splash of hot broth will rescue a sauce that reduces too quickly.
- ★Leftovers keep well for 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat gently with a tablespoon of water to re-hydrate the sauce and preserve the Parmesan cheese’s creamy texture.
- ★For a lighter or meatless version, substitute Italian sausage with plant-based sausage and swap the low-sodium chicken broth for vegetable broth without changing the technique.
quickone-potsausage pastacherry tomatoesspinachweeknight dinner