One-Pot Garlic Pasta

One-Pot meals are always a go-to for me – especially as we get back into the swing of balancing school and work and life. They cut down on dishes but also build so much flavor by cooking everything all together. Some people balk at the idea of cooking pasta in a one-pot situation – but as long as you put the right amount of liquid and use a lid, you are going to get perfect al dente noodles every time. I wanted to have something with a little more kick to it so I decided to make this One-Pot Garlic Pasta with some hot Italian sausage in addition to the mild sausage. It really just gives it that little bit extra.

For this particular one-pot wonder, you want to use a wide shallow pan so that the pasta can spread out and cook evenly. I love my 5qt Ninja Foodi NeverStick saute pan for dishes like this. It has plenty of space and the lid seals really well. The pan itself is about 12 inches diameter, so if you have something close to that you will be good. The key is just do not try to make it in a stock pot – your pasta will cook unevenly.

Like I mentioned, I wanted this dish to have a little kick – so I use half hot Italian and half mild Italian sausage. If you don’t want the heat, just use all mild. If you want a little more, use all hot. Just make sure it is the ground sausage kind – in a tray – not links. If you all you have access to is the links, do your best to remove the casing and still crumble and cook the meats.

I served this dish with a hunk of bread on the side – which was perfect for sopping up the little bit of extra sauce. Since you have the meat, veg and starch all in the pot, you really don’t need anything else. If you are trying stretch for leftovers or more people, I think a Caesar Salad would be really yum!

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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One-Pot Garlic Pasta

A simple weeknight dinner all made in one pot in less than 30 minutes – with a little kick!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword ground pork, Italian Sausage, Pasta, pasta dishes, spinach

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 1 lb Mild Italian Sausage
• 1 lb Hot Italian Sausage
• 1½ lb Spaghetti broken in half
• 1 qt Chicken Broth
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese shredded
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 cup Fresh Spinach

Instructions

• Prepare all of the ingredients.
• In a large saute pan over medium-high heat, add sausage. Crumble and cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth, garlic, red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning.
• Bring to a bubble and add pasta, stir until pasta begins to be flexible. Reduce heat to medium and cover with lid. Cook for 10 minutes. Stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese and cook another 5 minutes. Fold in spinach and serve it up!