This easy sausage and broccoli pasta uses only a handful of everyday ingredients and comes together in less than 30 minutes!
Italian sausage and pasta is such a good combo. I used spicy Italian sausage in this pasta dish, but feel free to use mild Italian sausage, chicken sausage, or any sausage of your choosing!
This broccoli and sausage pasta recipe is ideal for busy weeknights or when you don't want to buy a lot of ingredients.
How to make pasta with sausage and broccoli
Either slice the sausage like I did, or crumble it while you're sautéing it. I like to cook the sausage first and then add the broccoli to the pan for about 4 minutes to get it tender-crisp.
This easy broccoli pasta with sausage has a creamy (but not too creamy) garlic sauce.
I swapped the heavy cream with half-and-half to make this dish lighter (but still satisfying!).
Red pepper flakes add a bit of spice (especially if you use a mild sausage), but feel free to leave them out if spicy sausage pasta isn't your thing!
Looking for more sausage and pasta recipes? You may also like my Cajun sausage pasta or my roasted tomato and sausage pasta.
Will you give this sausage pasta recipe a try?
Let me know in the comments below!
Simple Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 1 (17.6 oz/500g package) Italian sausages cut into small pieces (or crumble it)
- 1 head broccoli cut into small florets
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a large, salted pot of water and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Prep your sausage. Add it to a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, until it's browned and mostly cooked through (about 8-10 minutes).
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the broccoli. Cover the pan and cook for 4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic.
- Add in the half-and-half. Let it bubble for a couple of minutes, ensuring the brown bits at the bottom of the pan are scraped into the sauce. Test if broccoli is cooked to your liking. If not, cook a bit longer.
- Stir in the parmesan cheese and season with salt & pepper and red pepper flakes as needed. Once the pasta is done, drain it and toss it with the sauce. Enjoy immediately.
Katie says
Could you replace the broccoli with green beans. I love broccoli but my family does not.
Natasha says
I think that should work just fine, Katie! 🙂
Cindi Bollinger says
I made this for supper and it was fabulous delicious ! And a big hit in my family !
Natasha says
Excellent!! I'm so pleased you all enjoyed it, Cindi! Thanks for letting me know.
Barb G says
This was good but...all the pasta did not cook, I stirred it a couple of times but still had pasta that was not cooked.
Natasha says
Hi! Just to clarify, what do you mean by the pasta? The pasta is cooked separately in a pot of boiling water according to package directions. Do you mean that the broccoli in the sauce wasn't quite tender enough? In that case, I'd cook it for a little longer next time or cut it into smaller pieces first.
Joan says
This was incredibly delicious! Even though my children wouldn’t eat the broccoli, they absolutely loved the pasta and sausage. I left out the extra salt and found that the cheese made the dish salty enough. I microwaved the sausage for 3 minutes prior to cutting them. It sped up the cooking process by 10-15 minutes. This recipe is definitely a keeper:))
Natasha says
Well that's a win!! I'm so glad you liked it!
Tanya says
Made this tonight with a rope of smoked turkey sausage and garden fresh broccoli. It was delicious! Simmering the broccoli and sausage in the cream for a few minutes made the sauce smokey and amazing!
Natasha says
That's awesome! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Diane says
This is going into my, I-don't-have-anything-thawed-and-I-need-dinner-ready-in-an-hour-or-less file. I used heavy cream, a dash of beef bone broth to deglaze the pan, and some onion powder. It was most yummy. Hubby had 3 servings, I think he liked it! 😉 Thanks for this.
Natasha says
Haha awesome! That's what I like to hear!
Tuggy says
Used regular milk and let it cool down for awhile -- turned out great! Add lots of black pepper for extra taste.
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know!
Gordon Nicol says
I'm not much of cook and a guy, so finding this totally delicious recipe was a real gem for me.
I didn't have any garlic or half & half, just used cream. But, it was so delicious and it really tasted as if there was much more than the ingredients. I think that the caramelised gravy of the sausages mixes with the cream to give it this almost mushroomy flavour.
You can be sure I'll be making this again ! Even my five year old daughter LOVED it and asked for second helpings ! Now, that's something.
Thanks so much Natasha for sharing this !
Natasha says
That's great!! I am so happy that it worked out and your daughter enjoyed it too!! 😀
Tania says
What's half and half please
Natasha says
Half milk and half cream. Sold in North America.
jemmy says
Is this able to be frozen? If so, would you pass on instructions for that please? Thank u! My family loves this dish but i want to be able to make and freeze it if possible
Natasha says
Hmmm... I find broccoli doesn't freeze too well.
Nancy says
When do you add the pasta to the sausage and broccoli?
Natasha says
I just add it when the sauce is done and the pasta is cooked. 😊
liz says
Yum! Did a search for recipes with broccoli and sausage and didn't want a red sauce. Yours popped up - lucky me. We made this last night and it was delish. The kids loved it too. Simple ingredients, easy to make, and delish. I used milk (didn't have cream) and fettucini pasta, and added cauliflower. Will add this to my list of go to's. Thank you for sharing. ( :
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear everyone liked it, Liz! 🙂
Samdana Bhardy says
Oh my, this was really wonderful - thank you for sharing this recipe. I've made a pasta/sausage/broc/garlic recipe before (from Silver Palate) - also quite tasty but this one with the cream & parmesan was gobbled up at turbo speed! Hint: if all you have is breakfast sausage links, a little fennel seed with those red pepper flakes makes it taste just like Italian sausage. 🙂 Thanks again!
Natasha says
So happy you liked the recipe! Thanks for the tip!!
YM says
Just made this recipe and it was fabulous. I tweaked it a bit since I didn't have the sausage or cream. I used chicken breast and milk to replace the items I was missing. It still came out delicious and super quick. Had the dish on the table with a salad and garlic bread in under an hour.
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
Bet this is delicious! Love how easy it is too for those busy weeknights!
Natasha says
Thanks so much! Yes, it’s very simple to make. 🤗