One Pot Cheesy Sausage Penne Recipe – hearty and satisfying one pan pasta dinner. Italian sausage, quick tomato sauce and penne pasta with cheesy topping is perfect for busy weeknights.
Busy weekdays are upon us, as the school gradually goes back into session. And don’t get me started on the holiday season slowly creeping up on us. Things will get busy fast! Quick and easy dinners will save your day! Especially one pot pasta dinners with a ton of flavor and of course, a cheesy topping. My family loves my One Pot Meatballs and Tortellini with a side of Garlic Bread. One vegetarian nights, I make One Pot Mushroom Spinach Pasta with Beans. But when we need a really hearty meal, I go with Italian sausage and penne combo.
This one is another big winner! You can get this One Pot Cheesy Sausage Penne on the table in under 30 minutes. Bonus, no pile of dishes to clean up afterwards! Just one skillet and plates.
HOW TO MAKE ONE POT PASTA
To make one pot pasta dinner, you need to saute onion and garlic for a base flavors. Then add meat ( I used Italian sausage but ground beef or turkey works awesome too! ) and cook until done. Add dry pasta and sauce and stock mixture. Just enough to cover the pasta and meat in the pot. Bring everything to boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook, covered until the pasta is done. It is good to stir it a few times while cooking. Finally, top it all off with a hefty amount of your favorite cheese and cover for few minutes, so the cheese will melt. Serve with garlic bread or breadsticks.
Cooking meat and pasta in a vegetable sauce, all in one pot is really easy. Not only it saves on clean up and time, but the flavors are more intense as everything cooks together. It is even better the next day!
More pasta dinner recipes:
- Mushroom Shrimp Pasta
- Spaghetti alla Carbonara
- Spinach Dip Chicken Pasta
- Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
For more recipes like this one, feel free to browse our Dinner category.
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment!
Hearty and satisfying one pan pasta dinner. Italian sausage, quick tomato sauce and penne pasta with cheesy topping is perfect for busy weeknights.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium carrot grated
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage casings removed
- 2.5 cups uncooked penne pasta
- 2 cups crushed tomatoes
- 1.5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded Pepper Jack cheese
- chopped basil for garnish
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Heat up oil in large skillet. Add chopped onion and minced garlic and saute on medium heat for 2 minutes. Add shredded carrot and saute until onion is translucent.
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Add sausage and cook until done, breaking it up with a wooden spatula.
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Add pasta, crushed tomatoes and stock to pot. Stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Bring all to a boil. Reduce the heat to simmer. Cook, covered, stirring often, until the pasta is done.
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Remove from heat and uncover pot. Top pasta with shredded cheese. Cover for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
This dish is great reheated the next day. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Noelle Kranz says
Tasted great but I followed the directions, made in my Le Creuset and it took at least 20 min once the pasta was added to the pot and I needed to add extra water to get it cooked to al dente. So overall, I would make it again, but start it earlier as it definitely was longer than expected.
Anna says
Thank you, Noelle!
Mike says
Made this dish tonight. Came out great. Added porchini mushrooms and about a tablespoon of Italian seasoning. No carrots. Used about half a box of penne which worked out perfect and I also added about 1/2 cup of red wine during the reduction phase, just to give it some depth. Two thumbs up!!!
Anna says
Sounds perfect! Thank you for making my recipe and for the review, Mike!
Andrea McClung says
This was very tasty! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Nancy says
Wondering if rigatoni can be used in lieu of penne? Has anyone tried this with a different pasta shape? Thanks
Anna says
Hi Nancy! You can use any bite-size pasta. I hope this helps!
Nicole Bar says
okay wait… done serving.. as in one bowl for one person is 1000 calories? how is that even possible? ive made this a couple times and it tasted absolutely amazing but 1000 calories? I did not realize that… can someone clarify if this is for the whole pot or actually for one serving/one bowl?
KarenP says
Shocking isn’t it? I had to find out so I found an online recipe calculator and if you divide this recipe into 6 servings that’s the calorie count. It mostly comes from the meat (680) and pasta (540). The pasta number might be a bit off because I guessed how much that amount of pasta would weigh.
Darlene says
My husband and I loved this dish. It was very easy. I used organic italian pasta sauce instead of can tomatoes. I had to add some water due to sauce thickening before penne was cooked enough for us. I think it would’ve been good with a can of mushrooms added too.
Anna says
That’s fantastic! Thank you so much, Darlene!
Leanne says
can i use pasta sauce instead of crushed tomatoes?
Nicole says
I made this with without the crushed tomatoes so it was runny, but other than that it was super delicious
Natasha says
How did u make it so it wasnt so runny? I didbt use crushed tomatoes…just diced
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Natasha! Crushed tomatoes make this dish thick. Diced tomatoes are runny and crushed tomatoes look like pasta sauce. Hope this helps!
Wendy says
And if she uses diced again, could she put either a little cornstarch or flour in the browning sausage stage and that will thicken the sauce a bit as it simmers ? 🤔😊
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi Wendy! I have not tested that but it might work. Thanks!
Krista says
I love one pot meals! Easy clean up and a delicious dinner all in one!
Megan Ancheta says
Can’t beat the ease of a meal made in under 30 minutes! This looks like pure comfort food! Yum!
carrie says
One pot dinner recipes are the best! Especially when they involve pasta & ooey, gooey cheese. 😉
Allyson Zea says
I am definitely trying this on my dinner meal plan! How delish!
Angie says
My kind of dinner! I love pasta and one pot meals!
Catalina says
This looks amazing! It would be perfect for our Sunday dinner!
Andrew says
That looks ‘stick to your ribs’ good !
Sues says
This looks so cheesy and delicious!! The best kind of comfort food 🙂
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Yes! Fall is coming and all I am craving is comfort food. 😀