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This 20 minute Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta features hearty vegetables and savory sausage, tossed in a rich parmesan cream sauce. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner when you want something easy, comforting, and with incredible flavor.
Serve your pasta with my pillowy soft, one hour, Old Fashioned Dinner Rolls and a glass of wine.
I don’t know about you, but at least once a week I stare into my refrigerator wondering how to turn random ingredients into something exciting for dinner. This pasta dish was created in one of those moments, and honestly nothing beats a comforting dinner that can be on the table in 20 minutes.
It’s browned Italian sausage with earthy mushrooms, bell peppers, onions, and garlic, all brought together by a rich parmesan cream sauce that coats every bite. What makes it special is using a little bit of pasta water to create the silkiest sauce. Best of all, there’s minimal cleanup which means more time relaxing or enjoying family.
For more dinner recipes with Italian Sausage, try my Sausage Kale and White Bean Soup. Or if you’re into appetizers my Jalapeno Sausage Dip is to die for!
Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make this pasta recipe and a few important notes, keep reading.
- Pasta: Cavatappi or other shapes that hold sauce like penne, macaroni, shells, or orecchiette work really great. When you boil them, reserve a little pasta water to help bring your sauce to the perfect creamy consistency.
- Ground Italian Sausage: Feel free to use pork or chicken varieties, I chose pork. Just make sure it’s Italian seasoned or your pasta will be bland.
- Unsalted Butter: You can also use extra virgin olive oil in it’s place.
- Mushrooms
- Yellow Onion
- Green Bell Pepper
- Fresh Garlic
- Heavy Whipping Cream: This creates the rich and creamy sauce. For a lighter option, use half and half.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated off the block is the way to go. Pre-grated parmesan cheeses have an anti-caking agent that really keeps the sauce from coming together.
- Fresh Thyme
- Salt and Black Pepper
How to Make Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
1. Boil the pasta according to package directions, and reserve a half cup of pasta water before draining.
2. Cook the sausage and vegetables. Brown the Italian sausage, remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan, melt the butter and sauté your mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper until soft. Add the garlic and fresh thyme, cook until fragrant.
3. Combine the sauce. Add the pasta water and heavy cream, allow it to come to a bubbling boil and reduce by half. Return sausage to the pan, along with the pasta and parmesan cheese, toss until everything is well coated and serve immediately.
4. Finish and serve. Remove your Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta from the heat. Season it with salt and black pepper to suit your taste preferences. Once plated add additional fresh thyme and parmesan cheese.
Find the complete recipe instructions with measurements below
Storing Information
Store any leftover Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta in an airtight container and in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. Or if you’re like me and don’t own a microwave, reheat it on the stovetop. Just put the pasta in a pot with a little bit of water, heat over medium while stirring frequently until it’s warmed through.
I do not recommend freezing this pasta recipe because the sauce does not thaw well. It comes out watery and runny which is no good.
Helpful Recipe Tips
Lighten things up. Swap out the heavy whipping cream for half and half. The sauce will take longer to thicken up because of the water content. It still makes for a really delicious sauce, just not as rich.
Wash your vegetables. This might seem obvious, but I always like to stress the importance of washing and drying your mushrooms, green bell pepper, and fresh thyme before cutting them up. There can be a lot of dirt and bacteria on them and you don’t want that in your pasta. I spritz mine with white vinegar, let them sit 5 minutes, and rinse with cool water.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Simple Pasta Recipes You Might Like
If you feel like taking a look at something different, I have a few more pasta dinners you might like. The first one is a reader and Pinterest favorite of mine!
Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
EQUIPMENT
- skillet - large, 12 inch
- large pot - with straining cover
INGREDIENTS
- 8 ounces pasta - cavatappi, reserve ½ cup pasta water
- ½ pound ground Italian sausage - pork (what I used) or chicken
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms - sliced
- ½ green bell pepper - diced small
- ½ yellow onion - diced small
- 4 cloves garlic - grated or finely minced
- ½ tablespoon thyme - fresh, plus more for topping
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese - freshly grated, plus more for topping
- ¼ teaspoon salt - plus more for salting pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the cavatappi pasta and cook according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve a ½ cup of pasta water, and do not rinse the pasta after it is drained.
- Meanwhile, cook the ground Italian sausage in a large skilled until crumbled and browned (5 to 6 minutes). Transfer the fully cooked sausage to a plate and set aside. NOTE: If there is a lot of excess grease, remove all but 1 tablespoon before moving on.
- In the same pan, melt the unsalted butter. Add and sauté the sliced mushrooms, diced onion, and diced green bell pepper until softened.
- Add the minced garlic and fresh thyme, cook for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the ½ cup pasta water and heavy whipping cream, allow the sauce to come to a rolling boil and reduce by half.
- Add the browned Italian sausage, pasta, and grated parmesan cheese. Toss together until the sauce coats the pasta.
- Remove skillet from heat, season with salt and black pepper. Once plated, garnish with more fresh thyme and parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION
- Refrigerated and in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat leftovers in the microwave for 30 seconds or on the stovetop in a pan with a little water until warmed through.
- Freezing is not recommended.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
