Cook Italian sausage, pasta and broccoli together in a big pot and finish it off with cheese to make a delicious creamy one pan meal. It’s a great way to get dinner on the table in a hurry with a minimum number of dirty dishes.
One pot pasta recipes are perfect busy night meals. This recipe takes the rich flavor of Italian sausage and turns it into a fabulous well rounded dinner. The broccoli and pasta cook right in the same pot you used to brown the sausage, so there’s basically no mess to clean up.
Of course a sprinkling of cheese ties it all together at the end. It’s a balanced meal and there’s only one pot to clean when you’re done!
We always have a variety of pork in the freezer. I love knowing I can whip up a tasty meal the whole family is going to love without a trip to the store.
Using sausage as a building block for a recipe is such an easy way to add big flavor with almost no work. There are already layers of flavor built into the meat, so it is a great shortcut to a tasty meal.
That’s why dishes like cheesy kielbasa and pasta casserole work so well. There is already so much flavor in the kielbasa, it’s hard to go wrong from there.
If I am being honest, Italian sausage is one of my all time favorite meats. I just love the way the flavors of garlic and fennel mix with the ground pork.
Plus it is part of what makes some of our favorite recipes like lasagna and Chicago style pizza what they are. It also adds the savory balance in recipes like sausage, acorn squash and kale sheet pan dinner and summer veggie and sausage sheet pan supper.
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So having a pound of sausage ready helps ensure you can have a flavorful meal ready even on the busiest night. It’s the unsung hero of the weeknight dinner menu.
Turning Italian Sausage Into a One Pan Meal
Of course, we are going to need more than the sausage in the pot if we are going to make a meal of it. So, it’s time to add some liquid.
I like using chicken stock for an added layer of flavor. However, you can certainly use just water in a pinch. As we discussed earlier, that sausage is going to give you a big head start in the flavor department so you won’t be missing anything.
Now add your broccoli and pasta. For even more fiber, feel free to use a whole grain pasta.
Once that mixture comes to a boil, cover it and let it simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed. The pasta should be al dente at this point.
If the pasta hasn’t reached your desired doneness when the liquid is absorbed, add a little more liquid until it’s cooked perfectly. Now stir in a little milk and Parmesan cheese and dinner is done.
It really is just that easy. By now the yummy scents will have filled the house and everyone will be ready to dig in. You might not even need to ring the dinner bell!
One Pot Italian Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk Italian Sausage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound broccoli florets fresh or frozen
- 3½ cups chicken stock
- 1 pound pasta
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet or dutch oven, brown 1 pound bulk Italian Sausage over medium high heat. Drain any excess grease.
- Add 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and 3½ cups chicken stock. For a little extra heat, add some ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes if desired. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in 1 pound broccoli florets and 1 pound pasta. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes.
- When most of the liquid is absorbed, stir in the 1 cup milk and 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Heat until warmed through.
- Enjoy!
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This was great! I made some adjustments (only because I was trying to use up stuff in my fridge) but so close to the original I’m giving my rating based on the strong foundation of the recipe. I had about 3/4 lb ground beef and 2 links Italian sausage. Also used cavettapi pasta (because I love the corkscrews) and added sliced mushrooms, like others suggested. I didn’t have milk, but I stirred in about a cup of cottage cheese. Next time, I’ll probably add the broccoli in later in the process, because I like my broccoli more “al dente”. But…overall…YUMMM!! Thank you!!
That sounds wonderful! I am so glad you liked it.
I made this recipe, and also loved it! I used chicken italian sausage, and I also added mushrooms with the broccoli. I was very skeptical that the penne would cook properly, but it did!
Mushrooms sound so good, I am going to do that next time. Thank you!
I made this meal and it was excellent. I put the leftovers in the freezer for future use.
Great idea! I am glad you liked it!
Would this recipe work with pre shredded Italian blend cheese?
Yes, that should work great.
I love this. All in 1 pot. Sounds perfect
It’s so easy and really good
One of our favs. I keep all the ingredients on hand for the nights I want a easy comfort no hassle, easy dinner. I will precook sausage and keep in the freezer to shorten my cook time.
Precooking the sausage is a fabulous idea! I am going to do that too.
The pasta did not cook right, had some that was still hard. If the pasta would have been done this would have been great!
I’m sorry that happened. Maybe a stir half way through or a little more liquid would help.
This pasta looks amazing!
Thank you!
What a great dinner! Can’t wait to try it!
Thank you, I hope your family loves it!
I’m all about one pot meals. This looks so delicious my friend. Happy new week, stay warm.
Thank you, Andrea!