Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe With Creamy Parmesan Sauce

This Italian Sausage Pasta is a 30-minute dinner with deeply browned sausage, tender kale and strozzapreti tossed in a creamy white wine and Parmesan sauce. It’s rich and comforting, but still weeknight-practical.

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Why I Stopped Making This Italian Sausage Pasta One-Pot

This recipe used to be a one-pot pasta, but over time I’ve moved away from cooking pasta that way. It’s convenient, but I just don’t like the texture as much. Cooking the pasta separately gives me much better control over the doneness and keeps the finished sauce from getting overly starchy.

So yes, this version dirties one extra pot. I think it’s worth it. The sausage gets deeply browned first, then onion, garlic, white wine and cream turn all those browned bits into the base of the sauce. Kale wilts right into the pasta, and Parmesan added off the heat makes everything smooth and rich.

It’s the kind of Italian sausage pasta I actually want on a weeknight: rich and comforting, but with enough greens that I don’t feel like I need a side dish, and just enough heat from the red pepper flakes to keep it from being boring.

Italian Sausage Pasta Ingredients

A full recipe card, including exact ingredient amounts, appears at the bottom of this post.

• ground Italian sausage – if you’re wondering what to make with ground Italian sausage, pasta is an easy answer because the meat brings so much seasoning and richness on its own. Mild sausage gives you plenty of fennel and garlic flavor without making the whole dish spicy, but spicy Italian sausage works if that’s what your household prefers.
• strozzapreti pasta – the twists and folds grab onto the sausage crumbles and creamy sauce especially well. Other sturdy short pasta shapes such as rigatoni, cavatappi or penne will work, too.
• yellow onion and garlic – onion cooks right in the sausage grease, while garlic goes in later so it has time to become fragrant without burning.
• Italian seasoning, black pepper and red pepper flakes – these reinforce the seasoning already in the sausage and give the cream sauce more dimension. The small amount of red pepper flakes adds warmth rather than making the pasta overtly spicy, but you can omit these for a milder dish.
• dry white wine – deglazes the cooking pot and pulls the browned sausage bits into the sauce. Choose a dry wine you’d be happy to drink rather than anything sweet. If you’d prefer not to use wine, fresh lemon juice is a good substitute, although you won’t need quite as much. Use the juice of half a large lemon.
• heavy cream – makes the sauce rich enough to coat the pasta without requiring flour or another thickener.
• baby kale – five ounces looks like a lot going into the pot, but it wilts quickly underneath the hot pasta. It gives the dish plenty of vegetables without requiring another pan.
• Parmesan cheese – finely grated Parmesan melts most smoothly into the warm cream sauce. There’s more for sprinkling over each serving if you want it.
• kosher salt – seasons the onion and the cream sauce in stages. You’ll also need additional salt for the pasta water.
• fresh basil or parsley – optional, but either one adds a fresh finish against the sausage and creamy sauce.

How To Make Italian Sausage Pasta

1. BROWN. Cook the Italian sausage in a large pot or Dutch oven until it’s deeply browned, using a wooden spoon to break it into crumbles as it cooks. You won’t need any olive oil. There’s plenty of sausage fat to prevent anything from sticking to the pan. Don’t rush this part. The browned bits left behind are the foundation of the sauce.

2. BOIL. While the sausage cooks, cook the strozzapreti in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

3. SAUTÉ. Add the onion and half of the salt to the sausage and cook until softened. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, black pepper and red pepper flakes and cook just until fragrant.

4. DEGLAZE. Pour in the white wine and scrape the bottom of the Dutch oven to release all of the browned sausage bits. Simmer until the wine reduces slightly.

5. SIMMER. Add the cream and remaining salt and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes so it begins to thicken.

6. TOSS. Add the kale to the Dutch oven, then pile the drained cooked pasta on top. Toss over low heat until the kale wilts, adding reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce loosens and coats the pasta.

7. FINISH. Remove the pan from the heat before adding the Parmesan. Stir until the cheese melts and the sauce looks smooth and glossy, then garnish with herbs and more Parmesan if you’d like.

Italian Sausage Pasta Variations

• MAKE IT SPICY – use hot Italian sausage and increase the red pepper flakes to taste.
• SWAP THE GREENS – baby spinach can replace the kale. Because spinach wilts more quickly, it only needs a brief toss with the hot pasta and sauce. You can also use sauteed or steamed broccoli or broccoli rabe as the green here.
• CHANGE THE PASTA – rigatoni, cavatappi and penne make great substitutions for the strozzapreti. Any other short pasta with plenty of ridges or curves also works.

What To Serve With Italian Sausage Pasta

This is already a complete meal with sausage, kale and pasta, so you could simply bring this pot to the table and call it a night. But, if you want something alongside it, Homemade Garlic Bread is the obvious choice for catching any cream sauce left in the bowl.

For something fresher, serve it with a Chopped Salad. My Homemade Italian Dressing makes an especially good match with the sausage and Parmesan.

Storage, Reheating And Freezing

• Refrigerate: Transfer leftover sausage pasta to an airtight container. Refrigerate uncovered until fully chilled, then cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
• Reheat: Warm individual portions gently in the microwave at 50% power, stirring occasionally. Add a small splash of water, milk or cream before reheating to loosen the sauce as needed.
• Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this pasta. Cream sauces can separate as they thaw, and the pasta and kale both lose quite a bit of their texture.

Italian Sausage Pasta FAQ