One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta is an easy to make one pot meal that is creamy and full of flavor. This dish comes together in under 30 minutes and is sure to be a hit with your family.

Andrew turned one last week! I can’t believe a whole year has gone by.

I keep looking at my little one year old toddler and thinking, “where did the time go?”

It feels like yesterday I was up 5 times a night with him, rocking and cuddling him back to sleep.  While I don’t miss being totally sleep deprived I know I will miss the baby stage.

All of the sudden I look at him and realize he is almost walking, starting to say words, using sign language to tell me he wants more food and getting into everything.

And when I say everything, I mean everything.

For anyone that has a toddler you know that putting dinner on the table can be a struggle.  

When it is time to start putting dinner together just so happens to be the time that Andrew becomes extra clingy and starts getting into everything. I can’t turn my back for one second without him getting into some kind of trouble.

My answer to the craziness is one pot meals.  They are my new favorite thing to make during the week when I have both kids home and am trying to get a meal on the table.

Today’s One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta is an easy meal to put together and is ready in under 30 minutes.  

It is inspired by one of my most popular dinner recipes Smoked, Sausage, White Bean and Spinach Pasta with Toasted Pine Nuts. 

Instead of cooking the pasta separately I decided to try adding in right into the pot to cook it with the rest of the ingredients and it worked perfectly.

The thing I love most about one pot meals is the minimal clean up that they require.

I can put this dish on the stove to simmer and while it cooks make a salad and a side dish, like this Lemon Parmesan Broccoli, and have it all on the table in under 30 minutes.

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One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta is an easy to make one pot meal with creamy, bold flavors. This dish comes together in under 30 minutes and is sure to be a hit with your family.

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Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil {not extra virgin, just plain olive oil}
• 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 sausage links, casing removed, crumbled into small pieces {I used sweet Italian sausage, but feel free to use whatever you like}
• 8 oz rigatoni pasta {use whole wheat pasta for a healthier dish}
• 1-14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth {you can use vegetable broth as well}
• 1/4 cup low fat milk {or milk of your choice, whole milk for creamy texture}
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup shredded cheese of your choice {I used 1/2 cup cheddar, 1/2 cup mozzarella}
• 2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach

Garnish:

• Freshly chopped parsley
• Extra cheese to sprinkle on after the pasta is done {maybe parmesan or mozzarella}

Instructions

1. In a large pot of skillet heat the 2 Tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and a dash of salt and sauté for 1 minute. Add the garlic and continue to sauté until soft. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage is browned.
2. Add the pasta, diced tomatoes, broth, milk, italian seasoning and a dash of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil and then turn down the heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to the pan.
3. When there is 5 minutes remaining add the spinach, stir and cover to let the spinach wilt.
4. Once the pasta is done cooking add the shredded cheese and stir until the cheese melts into the pasta mixture and creates a creamy texture.
5. Remove from the heat, taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish with fresh parsley and additional cheese if you would like.

Notes

*Depending on the type of pasta and the size of it, the cooking time might vary. If you use a smaller pasta you will want to start checking to see if it is done around 15 minutes. If you used bigger pasta then it might need to cook a little bit longer than 20 minutes.
*If you find that the dish starts to get a little dry during the cooking process you can add a small amount more of the broth.
*Vegetarian option: you can omit the sausage and use vegetable broth to create a vegetarian dish.