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    Home » Recipe Box

    Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta

    Published: Feb 12, 2020 · Modified: Sep 6, 2022 by Marcie Groller · This post may contain affiliate links

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    A healthy AND creamy pasta dish, our Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta is packed with flavor, spice and one of our favorite go-to proteins: Al Fresco Chicken Sausage! BONUS: This meal can be made 28 minutes or less!

    chicken sausage pasta with fork in bowl
    Jump to:
    • 👌 Why this Recipe Works
    • đź›’ Ingredients
    • 👩‍🍳 How to Make this Dish
    • ✏️ Expert Tips and Tricks
    • 🥒 Side Suggestions
    • âť“FAQ
    • đź‘¶ Tips for Picky Eaters
    • đź§¶ Craft for this Recipe
    • 🍽 Other Pasta Dishes to Try
    • 🍝 Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta

    👌 Why this Recipe Works

    One pot! Minimal mess, minimal cleanup!

    Cooks fast! Like all of our recipes, our Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta can be made in 28 minutes or less!

    Creamy! This recipe calls for low fat cream cheese, which has less fat than regular cream cheese, but still gives our dish the creamy flavor and consistency we like!

    Chicken sausage. Chicken sausage generally has fewer calories and less sodium than pork sausage, making it a healthier choice.

    Note: If you like quick and healthy pasta dishes, be sure to also check out our Ground Turkey Spaghetti with Hidden Veggies, another household favorite of ours. And for more recipe ideas featuring sausage, be sure to check out these 35 Italian Sausage Recipes for Dinner!

    đź›’ Ingredients

    ingredients for chicken sausage pasta

    Notes on Ingredients

    • Chicken Sausage-We love Al Fresco Chicken Sausage because these sausages contains no artificial ingredients and are minimally processed. They are also significantly lower in fat and carbs than most other brands of sausage and are gluten-free!
    • Pasta- We choose whole grain rotini for this chicken sausage pasta not only for its health benefits, but also because this pasta's twisted shape holds the dish's sauce so well. But feel free to choose any pasta you like!
    • Parmesan - This is totally optional, but adds a nice flavor.
    • Cream cheese- To keep this dish light, we used low fat cream cheese but feel free to use regular if you'd like a richer taste.
    • Red pepper- Feel free to increase for more spice!

    👩‍🍳 How to Make this Dish

    Step 1: Lightly brown chicken sausage with onion and garlic, and set aside.

    🥄 Kid Step: Paint the stock pot with butter, using a basting brush. Slice the sausage using Curious Chef Children's Knives

    browning sausage with onions

    Step 2: Make sauce and cook pasta in sauce.

    🥄 Kid Step: Measure seasonings using the Curious Chef teaspoon set (we love this brand!). And set the timer for pasta. This is a great chance for kids to learn about cooking times. Taste the pasta intermittently so they can see the difference over time.

    cooking pasta in tomato sauce

    Step 3: Stir in sausage and cheese.

    🥄 Kid Step: Stir in cheese and watch it melt! Kids love this job!

    adding sausage back to pasta
    healthy pasta in white bowl

    ✏️ Expert Tips and Tricks

    • Lightly brown sausage. Since the chicken sausage is fully cooked, you'll simply want to sear it for a few minutes with the garlic and onion until only lightly browned.
    • Cook noodles in the pasta sauce unless you plan to freeze the sauce or serve leftovers. In that case, you may want to cook pasta separately.
    • We recommend that you top the whole dish off with shredded parmesan and red pepper flakes if you want an added kick!

    🥒 Side Suggestions

    Packed with sausage, veggies and pasta, this meal stands on its own pretty well. Yet, if you want to serve a side with it, we recommend garlic bread (Pepperidge Farm is our fave) or a simple garden salad. For my kids, our go-to sides are carrot sticks or sliced cucumbers with salad dressing as a dip.

    ❓FAQ

    How can I thicken my sauce?

    To thicken your sauce, add cornstarch mixed with water (start with 4T of water and 2T of cornstarch) and slowly pour it into sauce. 

    What pasta can I use for this dish?

    While we love whole wheat rotini, other short pastas like fusilli or rigatoni would be great as well. 

    Can you freeze this dish?

    I don't recommend freezing the pasta, but you can definitely freeze the sauce. In that case, we recommend making your pasta separately at the time you plan to serve your dish.

    Does chicken sausage contain pork?

    Chicken sausage is typically made from ground chicken meat and not pork. However, many chicken sausages are contained in a natural pork casing.

    đź‘¶ Tips for Picky Eaters

    • Sausage on the side. If kids don't like their protein and sauces to mix, consider setting some sausage aside before combining it with the pasta sauce.
    • Kids pick the pasta. Many different kinds of pasta will work great in this dish. Let kids choose their favorite.
    close up of Italian chicken sausage pasta

    đź§¶ Craft for this Recipe

    Grab some extra dry rotini to make this amazing DIY Cardboard Frame with Pasta. DIY Cardboard frames are a great way to say "I love you!." Kids will love getting creative with these heart-shaped frames!

    several paper cardboard heart frames

    🍽 Other Pasta Dishes to Try

    • Ground Turkey Spaghetti with Hidden Veggies
    • One Pot Chicken Apple Sausage Pasta
    • One Pan Beef with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

    Follow Platein28 on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook and Sign up for our newsletter for all the latest recipes and crafts!

    chicken sausage pasta with fork in bowl
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    🍝 Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta

    Author: Marcie & Julie
    Calling all pasta lovers! Our Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta is the embodiment of comfort, ease, and yum! Make it tonight!
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Total Time25 mins
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Americanized Italian, Italian
    Servings: 6

    Equipment

    • Large stock pot

    Ingredients

    • 1-2 Tablespoon butter
    • ½ onion chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • 11 ounce Sweet Italian Style Chicken Sausage Links sliced
    • 3 ½ cups chicken broth or stock
    • 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
    • 2 Tablespoon tomato paste
    • 1 Teaspoon Italian seasoning
    • 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 Teaspoon basil
    • ½ Teaspoon black pepper
    • ½ Teaspoon sea salt
    • 2 cups rotini or penne pasta uncooked
    • 1 ½ - 2 ounce low fat cream cheese
    • ÂĽ cup shredded parmesan cheese
    • ½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

    Instructions

    • Melt butter in large stock pot. Add onion, garlic and sausage. Cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 mins or until sausage is slightly browned. Remove pot contents and set aside.
    • Add broth, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings to stock pot and stir together. Bring liquid to a boil, add pasta and cook according to pasta box instructions.
    • When pasta is fully cooked, stir in cream cheese and sausage/onion/garlic mix. Cook another 1-2 mins until cheese is melted. Top with parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes (optional).
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Notes

    • Lightly brown sausage. Since the chicken sausage is fully cooked, you'll simply want to sear it for a few minutes with the garlic and onion until only lightly browned.
    • We love whole wheat rotini, but other short pastas like fusilli or rigatoni would be great as well. 
    • Cook noodles in the pasta sauce unless you plan to freeze the sauce or serve leftovers. In that case you may want to cook pasta separately.
    • To thicken your sauce, add cornstarch mixed with water and slowly pour it into sauce (start with 4T of water and 2T of cornstarch).
    • To lighten the meal, limit cheese or use low-fat cream cheese.
    • Red pepper flakes are optional, but will give your pasta a fun kick!
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 473kcal (24%)Carbohydrates: 61g (20%)Protein: 23g (46%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Monounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 53mg (18%)Sodium: 1535mg (67%)Potassium: 374mg (11%)Fiber: 9g (38%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 595IU (12%)Vitamin C: 19mg (23%)Calcium: 122mg (12%)Iron: 2mg (11%)

    *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. While we are not certified nutritionists, we work with a WordPress-integrated nutrition API to calculate our recipes' ingredient values.

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