This creamy Tuscan sausage pasta is a super easy and incredibly comforting and flavorful weeknight dinner recipe!
Oh man... I really liked this creamy sausage pasta recipe. I kept sneaking bites of the sauce before the pasta was cooked. I'm so bad at doing that. And I always forget to put the water on for the pasta. Sometimes until the sauce is entirely finished. I'll never learn...
I have a few "Tuscan" (basically the sun-dried tomato + spinach combo and usually some basil and cream and plenty of garlic) recipes on here including my Tuscan chicken pasta, creamy Tuscan chicken breasts, Tuscan salmon, creamy Tuscan ravioli, and Tuscan shrimp. They're all variations of the same popular recipe. I just can't get enough of these flavors.
I had some Italian sausage in the fridge that needed using up, so this is where the idea for this recipe came from. Just adding another winner to the Tuscan collection. 😛
Recipe notes & tips:
- I used 3 sausages out of a 5-pack of Johnsonville Mild Italian sausages... you can add a bit more or less and it won't make or break the recipe.
- I used mild Italian sausage, but if you prefer some heat, try hot Italian or add a pinch of cayenne pepper or some red pepper flakes to this dish.
- The Dijon mustard doesn't make the sauce taste "mustardy". It just adds more depth to the overall flavor. It's a trick I use in many cream sauces.
- I used fettuccine in this spinach sausage pasta recipe, but you can use any pasta you have on-hand. I tend to always prefer the "noodles" over the shapes, but to each their own. Want to try making your own pasta to make this dish extra special? My friend Krissy has a homemade pasta recipe for that. 🙂
- I've made this without basil before, but I do recommend adding it if you can.
Love sausage with pasta? Try these recipes:
Will you make this Tuscan sausage pasta? Do you love the sun-dried tomatoes/spinach combo as much as I do? Let me know in the comments below! Made this recipe? I'd love if wrote me a review and/or shared this recipe with a friend.
Tuscan Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta (I used fettuccine)
- 10.6 ounces Italian sausages crumbled
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1.5 cups baby spinach (loosely packed)
- Small handful fresh basil chopped finely
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water and cook pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Take the sausages out of their casings and crumble the meat into a skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it's nicely browned on the outside.
- Remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. If there's a lot of fat, discard most of it.
- Add the garlic, chicken broth, Dijon mustard, flour, and lemon juice to the pan. Stir until well combined (be sure to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan) and let it bubble for a minute or two.
- Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cream to the pan. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sausage back into the pan. Cook for another few minutes until the sauce has thickened up a bit.
- Stir in the basil and spinach. Let it cook for a minute or so until it wilts. Give the sauce a taste and season with extra salt & pepper if needed.
- Drain the pasta and toss it with the sauce. Serve immediately with some freshly grated parmesan if desired.
Notes
- I used the julienned sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil and drained the oil prior to adding them to the pan.
- I used 3 sausages from a 5-pack of Johnsonville mild Italian sausages. Anything in the ballpark weight-wise will work.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Carrie K says
Do you think using thawed frozen spinach would work? I have everything on hand except fresh spinach.
Natasha says
I think if you squeeze the water out really well it should be ok.
Jill Bundy says
Absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it.
Natasha says
Excellent! Thanks, Jill. 🙂
Kara says
So glad I stumbled upon this recipe, my husband and I loved it...perfection!
Natasha says
Fabulous!! 🙂
Nicola Harrington says
This was one of those unexpected stand out meals that we’ll eat over and over again. It was absolutely amazing, so tasty and loved the tomato / spinach combo. I went for the wine over broth option but did add a sprinkling of chicken stock. Divine! Would highly recommend.
Natasha says
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it so much, Nicola! 😀 Appreciate you taking the time to write me a review.
Christy Stuart says
OMG..restaurant quality. I am in love with the flavors!
Natasha says
Aww thank you!!
Sue says
This is so good, even picky eaters like it. I have made it several times now, it's so versatile you can use whatever pasta you choose or have on hand. Just good is all I can say.
Natasha says
So happy to hear it!!
lorri s says
This has become a family favorite. We love it but have added more sundried tomatoes than the recipe calls for.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂
Martha Collins says
Wow! We are eating right now and my husband just said “World’s Best”. Thank you!
Natasha says
Well that's good to hear!! 😀
Nancy Brady says
Thank you for the recipe. My husband and my five-year-old loved it. I added a bit more liquid as well and used pasta shells because that’s all I had on hand. Will try more recipes.
Natasha says
You're welcome! 🙂 Let me know if you try anything else.
Lynne says
Thanks for a great recipe! It was perfect for a snowy night! I put in the whole pound of fettuccine and doubled the recipe and it came out perfectly. This is my first ever comment, but I looked at several of your recipes before deciding how to use some sausage I had on hand and I appreciate how your links make searching with particular ingredients so easy!
Natasha says
You're very welcome! I am so happy you found the site easy to navigate. 🙂
Patty says
awesome. I used a buttery chardonnay in the sauce and it also is great to drink with the dish. I used smoked dried tomatoes and they provide a great sweet but smoky compliment to the wine/lemon sauce. I also added 3 times as much spinach and about 16 oz sausage, 3/4 of the pasta.
Natasha says
Love that!!
Michelle says
I love this recipe! It is really tasty and great for a chilly winter night. As some have said, I doubled all of the liquids because the first time I made it, the pasta was a little dry. After doubling the liquids - perfecto! *chef's kiss*
Natasha says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Jo says
Swapped the cream for low fat cremation fraiche, an amazing dish loved by all the family!
Natasha says
Excellent!!
Randall Tucker says
This recipe has rapidly become one of our favorites! Easy to fix and brings the flavor every time!
Natasha says
That's great!! Thank you 🙂
Maja says
This amazing recipe is a crowd pleaser - my 1 year old, 5 year old and husband all loved it. I did feel that doubling all the amounts for the sauce would have made the dish even more enjoyable and more adequately coated the pasta. We enjoyed it so much though. Thank you!!!
Natasha says
I'm so happy you all enjoyed it! 🙂 You could definitely make a double batch next time. 🙂
Kate says
This recipe is absolutely delicious!! Every time I go to the grocery store I find myself putting the ingredients in my cart to make this again and again. Thank you for creating a new staple in meals for my husband and I.
Natasha says
Aww I love that! You're very welcome, Kate. 😀
Laura says
Made this for dinner tonight, and oh wow! It was amazing! So tasty and easy to make. Will definitely be making again!
Natasha says
Wonderful!!
Alec says
Can I use ground Italian sausage instead of buying links and and cutting them open?
Natasha says
Sure!
Kayla says
This was phenomenal! Thank you for sharing!!
Natasha says
Awesome!! You're welcome!
Elizabeth says
Doubled the recipe except for the cream because I only had 1/2 pint. Also forgot to add the flour! Didn’t miss either of them. Absolutely delicious. Even my picky 8 year old liked it, which is a very big deal!
Natasha says
That's awesome!!
Dans Guggino says
Just yummy! Easy to make and delicious.
Natasha says
Great!!
Sara Thomas says
I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes or spinach, which I would have preferred, so I used peas. It turned out amazing! I’m excited to try it next time with the spinach and sun dried tomatoes. I love this recipe, and so did my husband! Thank you so much!
Natasha says
I'm glad it still worked out!!
Cori says
Can this be made with frozen spinach?
Natasha says
Hi! I suppose you could, but I’d be sure to squeeze the water out really well. In my experience, frozen doesn’t taste quite as good and it sorta disintegrates, so I’d use fresh if you can.
Tonya says
I made two versions of this recipe. The first version was as it is here. For the second version, i substituted Silk Heavy Cream and used fewer sun dried tomatoes. Both versions came out delicious!!
Natasha says
Awesome!!
Robin says
Oh my! This was really good. I had some Kale that needed to be used and it fit perfectly in place of the spinach. We will definitely make this again!
Natasha says
Great!! So glad it worked out. 🙂
Donna Marie Petty says
Loved it! Also added about 1/3 cup of pitted halved Kalamata olives to this recipe for a bit of extra tang! It was a HUGE hit!
Natasha says
Excellent! And you have good taste... kalamata olives are my fav! 😉
Joe says
Amazing winter warmer, i like to use Lincolnshire sausages too and a bit of chilli too, great recipe, thanks
Natasha says
Yay!! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Joe!
Jana Lee Corn says
YUM!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!
Allan Bate says
Try it with a handful of chopped olives. Yum.
Natasha says
Great idea! Love olives!
Yvonne says
Would using broccoli rabe and white beans with the sun dried tomatoes but eliminating the spinach work well in this recipe?
Natasha says
I think that would be fine! The broccoli rabe may take a little longer to wilt than spinach, so I’d just be mindful of that. Let me know how it goes!
Jessica says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. It has quickly become one of our favorites! I wanted to share that I made it last time in my Instant Pot, and it came out rather well. I increased the broth to 2 cups (and mixed in the lemon juice and mustard before adding) so there'd be enough liquid to bring the pot to pressure and cook the pasta. I browned the sausage with the garlic on the saute function. There wasn't much drippings, so I left them in the pot. I poured in the broth/mustard/lemon juice mixture on top of the sausage, added the linguine on top of that, breaking it in half and pressing it down just enough to be mostly submerged in the broth. I sealed the pot and cooked those for five minutes under high pressure, and released after about 5-10 minutes. I reserved the cream, with the flour whisked into it, and the tomatoes and added those after, cooking for a few minutes on the saute function to thicken. The last thing I did was to stir in the spinach, basil and cheese just before serving. Turned out delicious!
Natasha says
You're welcome!! And thank you so much for including this detailed conversion for the IP! You've actually inspired me to try doing more pastas in my IP now haha.
Lauren says
I was kind of not sure about this recipe as I’ve never cooked with sun dried tomatoes but it was amazing! Thank you so much for sharing - you’re a genius! So easy and so yummy and so comforting!
Natasha says
Well I'm glad you decided to give it a try! So happy you liked it. 😀
Celia says
This is really good. But I did add a half of cup of extra chicken broth and 1/4 extra cup of heavy cream, along with a teaspoon of chicken bouillon to help make it more saucy as my family like more sauce. I also added 1 chopped fresh tomato, mushrooms, and more spinach. My husband loves it. Hoping my two toddlers will too tonight! Thank you
Natasha says
I'm so happy you liked it and were able to add more sauce! XO
Jess says
This has become a staple in my household over the last couple weeks. My boyfriend loves it and my friends can’t get enough of it. And truthfully probably the best pasta dish I’ve ever made
Natasha says
Wonderful!! I am so glad to hear that, Jess! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Nikki says
This was very good! I’ll definitely make again. I used steamed broccoli and half and half because that’s what I had in hand. Yum! This was my first recipe from your website and I’m looking forward to trying more.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! Let me know if you make anything else. XO 🙂
Stephanie says
This was delicious! We added grape tomatoes too.
Natasha says
Wonderful!!
Linda says
I want to make this for supper but don’t have any whipping cream on hand. I do have coffee cream (half & half) will that work ..... perhaps a bit more flour for thickening?
Natasha says
You could try that. I think in this recipe it should be fine as long as you don’t let it boil. Yes, I’d use a little more flour to thicken it up.
Julie says
Question - I can't have the lemon (or any citrus) will that affect the taste of the sauce if I omit it? Thank you. I'm looking forward making this.
Natasha says
Hi Julie! It'll still taste good without the lemon.
Lynn Eakes says
I need to double the recipe and make a few days ahead of time. I’m taking this to have for “first night” of our family beach vacation. We’ll cook our pasta fresh of course!
Suggestions?
I’ll send a photo!
Natasha says
Hi Lynn! I think doubling it should be fine. I'd use a soup pot/Dutch oven type thing to make it. I'm thinking it might be a good idea to add the spinach in when you're reheating it... then it'll be a nicer color and less wilted. Up to you, though! Let me know how it goes. 🙂
Wendy says
Another family favorite!! Not to heavy just perfect like always 🥰🥰
Natasha says
Wonderful! Thanks for letting me know, Wendy! 🙂
Pat says
This was so good! And fast! I added black olives and because I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes but did have fresh made salsa I plopped in some of that. Also when browning the sausage I added sweet colored bell pepper and onion. People asked dibs for the small container of leftovers.
Natasha says
I'm so glad it was a hit, Pat! 🙂
Fran says
This was delicious and easy to make. Full of flavor!
Natasha says
I'm so pleased you enjoyed it!! Thanks for letting me know, Fran! 🙂
Kristi Brink says
Delicious. I have many pasta recipes in my cooking toolbox (mostly in my head) so ithis was nice change and extremely easy to make. Instead of sundried tomato’s, I roasted red and yellow cherry tomatoes with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of breads and parmigiano cheese. So good. Thank you.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you liked it!! Love the roasted tomatoes idea!
Randall Tucker says
5 stars, without question...Awesome recipe! It’s been a hit every time I’ve made it, and I even used it to cater an impromptu wedding reception. Definitely a keeper and thanks for sharing!
Natasha says
That makes me so happy!! Thanks for letting me know. And it made it to a wedding... that's awesome! 🙂
Meishia says
This is my JAM!!! I’ve made it a solid 5 times. I use spicy Italian sausage and add a bit more lemon than called for but besides that I change nothing!!! Honestly, this is one of the best things I make now! Thank you!!!!
Natasha says
That's awesome!!! 😀
Sharon Mangine says
Made this tonight to share with [...] family. My son who’s currently competing on Top Chef ate 3 helpings then said great job Mom this is a keeper....win !
Natasha says
That makes me so happy, Sharon!! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to comment! (I edited your comment to take out a buzzword due to the current events... bloggers have been advised that using these words could impact our search ranking so I'm being careful)
Amber says
I absolutely LOVED this meal!
Natasha says
Yay!!!
Toni says
Absolutely delicious!!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it, Toni!
Tracy S says
WOW! This was delicious. I was looking for something.... different, and had my eye on this recipe for awhile. My teenager and I loved making it together and eating it together. We can't wait to make this for friends and family. Truly considering making another dish and delivering to some friends! Thank you!
Natasha says
Aww that's awesome!! I am so happy it was a hit! 🙂
Lori says
Excellent and so quick! I will definitely be making this again. This is my first time trying one of your recipes. I can see why your ratings are so high. Excited to try more recipes. As a fellow Edmontonian, I’m glad I can easily find the ingredients in your recipes. Thanks Natasha!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you liked it!! Glad you found me! And it's always nice to hear from Edmonton folks. 🙂
Maureen says
Yum!! This was really delicious (even with missing some ingredients [...]!) Thanks for your thorough directions! Will definitely be making this again.
Natasha says
I'm so pleased you found the directions easy to follow, Maureen - that's what I aim for. 🙂 (I edited your comment because bloggers have been told that using buzzwords surrounding the current events can negatively impact our Google ranking so I’m not taking any chances).