With hearty Italian sausage and warm Tuscan flavors, this Tuscan Sausage Pasta is a delicious and fast dinner the whole family will love. It comes together in just 30 minutes, making it an ideal dish for busy weeknights.
When you’re in the mood for a fast, flavorful, satisfying meal, pasta is always a good idea. And this Tuscan sausage pasta recipe is one of my personal favorites.
This dish has lightly spiced Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and a silky cream sauce. It’s rich, garlicky, and bursting with those comforting Italian flavors that make it a cozy, crowd pleasing meal.
This Tuscan sausage pasta comes together in about 30 minutes, but it tastes like you simmered it all afternoon. It’s hearty enough to warm you up on chilly nights, yet simple enough for a Tuesday dinner at the end of a long, busy day.
Serve it straight from the skillet with a sprinkle of parmesan, some crusty bread, and a glass of wine. You’ll love how fast, flavorful, and comforting this pasta is.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this family favorite recipe!
This is totally a family FAVE recipe, and I hope it finds a regular place in your family’s dinner rotation, too! Why I think you’ll love this pasta dish:
- You can make it in 30 minutes.
- The Tuscan flavors in the sauce are amazing.
- Hearty Italian sausage makes it a super comforting dish.
- You probably already have pasta and most of the other ingredients on hand.
- It reheats well and tastes so good the next day!
Ingredient notes
These are ingredients you probably already have on hand. If not, try to keep these in stock as you can make so many different flavorful meals with them!
- Cooking oil: you can use extra virgin olive oil, but I prefer to use the flavored oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. This adds so much yummy Tuscan flavor to the sauce! But again, you can use your favorite olive oil instead.
- Italian sausage: you can use mild, sweet, or spicy. Whatever you prefer! I use ground Italian sausage, but you can also use links. Just be sure to remove the ground meat from the casings before using.
- pasta: I’ve tried this with different pasta shapes and honestly, it works well with both long pastas like fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti, as it does short pastas, like rigatoni, penni, or shells.
- Tuscan flavors: in addition to the Italian sausage, you’ll use sun-dried tomatoes and basil for the Tuscan touch.
- Spinach: I love the added nutrition boost that spinach gives to this dish. You can use kale (massage before using so it cooks down well), broccoli, or even just a bunch of peas if you prefer.
Step-by-step instructions
You’ll find the full list of ingredients along with measurements, and more detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are step-by-step photos with a brief overview of instructions to help you make this delicious pasta dish.
- Start by cooking the pasta.
- Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large skillet.
- Once it’s cooked, remove it from the pan and transfer to a plate. Set aside.
4. Sauté the onions and garlic.
5. Add the chicken broth. Deglaze the pan with a wooden spoon if needed.
6. Add the flour and lemon juice, and stir in.
7. Keep stirring until the flour has dissolved.
8. Add the cream and sun-dried tomatoes.
9. Stir and bring to a low boil.
10. Add back the cooked sausage meat.
11. Add the spinach and cook just until slightly wilted.
12. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce, along with a splash of that liquid gold: the starchy pasta water (just a splash!).
13. Toss together to coat the pasta. Serve garnished with basil.
Marlynn’s Tip
Recipe Tip
Instead of olive oil, use the oil from the jarred sun-dried tomatoes. This adds even more flavor to the sauce!
Recipe FAQs
You can use either ground Italian sausage or Italian sausage links. If using the links, be sure to remove the sausage meat from the casings before using, and weigh the meat out until you reach 1 pound. You can use sweet, mild, or spicy Italian sausage.
Absolutely! I always use a dairy-free heavy cream when making this recipe, instead of regular whipping cream or heavy cream.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 or 4 days. It’s best reheated in a pan on the stove. But you can also reheat with a splash of water or chicken broth in the microwave.
Serving suggestions
This Tuscan sausage pasta recipe is perfect for family dinners on busy weeknights and relaxing weekends alike.
Serve it with air fryer garlic bread, pesto bread, or garlic parmesan knots for a quick complete meal you can make in 30 minutes.
If you have a little more time, make this garlic rosemary focaccia. It’s so good with this pasta!
Toss in a dairy-free tiramisu and you’ve got a delicious, satisfying full family meal.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
This flavorful pasta dish pairs well with either white wine or red wine.
If you’re in the mood for white wine, pair it with a crisp Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
For a red wine, the spiced sausage and sauce pair well with a Sangiovese, Tempranillo, or Syrah.
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Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Tuscan Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta, linguine, fettuccine, or spaghetti
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil , or reserve liquid from the sun-dried tomatoes jar
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup spinach leaves
- 1 Tablespoon julienned fresh basil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water and cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Add oil to a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage just until it's browned, about 5 minutes. Then transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.
- Drain excess oil except for 1 Tablespoon. Then add the onions and sauté for 1 minute. Then add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
- Pour in the broth and add the flour and lemon juice.
- Stir until the flour dissolves.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and heavy cream. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Return the sausage to the pan and cook with the other ingredients for 1-2 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
- Stir in the spinach and cook just until it has wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cooked pasta and stir to coat in the sauce.
- Garnish with basil and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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