This deliciously creamy and hearty One Pot Orecchiette with Sausage dish is perfect for a quick weeknight meal for the whole family! Made with Italian sausage and orecchiette pasta, it’s a hearty meal that’s great for so many occasions.
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One Pot pastas are my favorite easy dinner recipes during a busy week!
This One Pot Orecchiette pasta recipe is super easy to make, and it’s ready in just 30 minutes.
Made with simple ingredients, it’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners or for hearty lunches to keep the cold at bay.
This creamy, comforting dish is packed with so much flavor, with Italian sausage, chicken broth, spinach, and fragrant parmesan cheese — serve it with Cheesy Garlic Bread for the ultimate comfort food dinner!
If you love this one-pot meal and want some other ideas, then check out this Italian Sausage Gnocchi Skillet, this hearty Italian Sausage Soup, and my One-Pot Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage recipe too!
Ingredients Needed:
- Onion: onion adds a great savory flavor, and they’re a bit sweet too once they have been sautéed as they caramelize slightly.
- Italian Sausage: I tend to use mild Italian sausage as my family likes less heat, but you can use hot Italian sausage if you prefer.
- Seasonings: Italian seasoning, freshly minced garlic, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper work together well to pack in tons of flavor!
- Broth: use a low-sodium chicken broth as it will allow you to better control the salt level of the dish.
- Cream: heavy whipping cream will give you the creamiest results and holds up well in the heat, but whole milk or a lighter cream will also work.
- Pasta: use uncooked Orecchiette pasta. Any short pasta will do!
- Spinach: fresh spinach leaves will add a pop of color and more nutrients to this dish.
- Cheese: fragrant salty and cheesy parmesan complements the Italian flavors so well.
How to Make Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage
Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Sauté: Sauté the sausage and onion until browned.
- Add seasonings: Add garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning and cook.
- Add broth: Add the chicken broth.
- Mix in cream: Add the cream and stir until combined.
- Add pasta: Add in the pasta, stir, and cook just until al dente.
- Garnish: Add in the spinach and parmesan cheese and stir.
Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage FAQs
Orecchiette means “little ears” in Italian, referring to the small, ridged pasta that originated in southern Italy that looks like little ears!
Store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
If you are going to freeze pasta, you should allow it to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Thaw completely before reheating on the stove top with a splash of broth or cream for best results.
Tips and Notes
- Fresh ingredients. Pre-chopped vegetables tend to get dry, so using fresh vegetables that you’ve chopped yourself will give you the best set of flavors. Similarly, using freshly minced garlic will give the freshest, most potent garlic flavor here.
- Salt. You may want to use less salt if you are not using low sodium broth.
- Cream. You can use a lighter cream or even milk, but the flavor will not be as rich.
Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage Variations
- Mix up the veggies. Seasonal vegetables like carrots would taste great in this dish. Also try zucchini, mushroom, or red peppers.
- Swap the meat: it won’t be Orecchiette with sausage, but this recipe is perfect for using up what you have on hand! Leftover Crockpot Shredded Chicken or Baked Chicken Breast, crispy Bacon or leftover Spiral Ham work just as well!
- Add some heat. Add some red pepper flakes or some chili powder to the dish for a bit of extra heat.
- Cheese. Serve topped with some parmesan or mozzarella cheese.
Serving Suggestions
While this one-pot orecchiette with sausage dish is hearty and filling, it would also go well with some sides to make it a fuller meal, or help it go further to feed more people. Bread is always a great accompaniment for dinner.
Try my Classic Crescent Rolls, my Garlic Bread, this Garlic & Herb Dinner Rolls, or these Homemade Breadsticks.
More One-Pot Recipes to Try
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Creamy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
- Instant Pot Alfredo Pasta
- Lasagna Soup
Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Italian sausage (Or links, casings removed)
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 teaspoon freshly minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt*
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream**
- 340 grams of uncooked Orecchiette pasta ¾ lb
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and onion and cook until sausage is browned and onion is softened about 4-5 minutes.
- Add garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute.
- Add broth and scrape the bottom of the pan if there are any stuck bits, then add the cream. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Add uncooked pasta, stir, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring often, until al dente (about 10-15 minutes).
- Stir in spinach and Parmesan and serve.
Notes
- Store: Store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Allow it to cool to room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
- Freezer: If you are going to freeze pasta, you should allow it to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
Thaw completely before reheating on the stove top with a splash of broth or cream for best results.
Nutrition Information
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Joel says
it was DELICIOUS! i usually like a little kick so i add some red pepper flake…ugh. my father and i enjoyed it thoroughly!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad to hear that!
Marion Lehman says
I did the prepping for my son, he’s boarder-lined mentally challenged. He did GREAT! It SMELLS so good right now! I CAN NOT wait to eat! We’re having a extra loaded salad, homemade garlic bread and as I said…I CAN NOT wait. I did sneak a bite and he yelled…”get out of MY kitchen”! (my rule BTW). Anyway, he LOVES to cook but hasn’t used a recipe WITHOUT me supervising etc. He did well and THANK YOU for such an easy dish, used chorizo sausage as that’s all we had, otherwise followed it exactly. VERY GOOD!
Ashley Fehr says
Thank you so much Marion! I’m glad it went over well!
Grace says
I have made this a few times. And my family loves it. We like extra pasta in ours so I add 1 cup extra of the chicken broth. Its delicious
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it Grace!