I’m really digging these one pot pastas lately. It’s so nice to just cook everything in one pot and have less to wash (especially when you don’t have a dishwasher, like me!). Not to mention they’re super quick and cooking the pasta in the sauce/broth just adds so much flavor.
This one pot pasta is just slightly more involved than my “wonderpots” because I’ve added the step of browning the sausage before throwing all of the ingredients together in the pot. The few extra minutes needed to brown the sausage translates into a lot more flavor. This is a fairly basic “pasta with red sauce” recipe, but it’s definitely quick and easy, which is perfect for people with a small kitchen or just not a lot of time on their hands. If you want to make it a little more special, you can try adding in some other fun ingredients like: black olives, artichoke hearts, spinach, roasted red peppers, or a splash of cream to turn it into a creamy red sauce. The sky’s the limit, so have fun!
One Pot Sausage & Mushroom Pasta
One Pot Sausage & Mushroom Pasta
Servings 8Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 2-3 links Italian sausage ($1.99)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.52)
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.99)
- 1 28oz. can crushed tomatoes ($1.00)
- 1 tsp dried basil ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 4 cups vegetable broth ($0.52*)
- 1 lb. rigatoni ($1.89)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.41)
- 1 handful fresh parsley (optional) ($0.23)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and sausage links to a large pot and cook over medium heat until they are browned on the outside and firm enough to slice into rounds. Remove the sausage from the pot with tongs, slice into rounds, then return them to the pot and cook for a few minutes more, or until fully browned.
- While the sausage is cooking, slice or mince the garlic and slice or dice the onion (depending on how big you want your pieces). Slice the mushrooms.
- Once the sausage is browned, add the crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, mushrooms, basil, and oregano to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
- Add the vegetable broth and pasta, then stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a rapid boil. As soon as it reaches a full boil, give it a stir, replace the lid, turn the heat down to low. Let the pot simmer on low for 15 minutes. Stir it every five minutes or so while it’s simmering. Make sure it’s simmering (bubbling) the whole time. If it is not, turn the heat up slightly.
- After 15 minutes of simmering, the pasta should be tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed. If there is still too much liquid, let it simmer without a lid for a couple more minutes. Stir in the parmesan and top with fresh chopped parsley, if desired.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
Step by Step Photos
I had some leftover Italian sausage in my freezer that needed to get used up, so that was the basis for this recipe. I had used half of this 19 oz. package previously and had the remaining 2.5 links left. You can use 2 links, you can use 3 links, or you can just use the whole package (5 links). It’s up to you!
First you need to cook the sausage a bit to make it firm enough to slice into rounds. Just put it in a big pot with 2 Tbsp of olive oil and cook over medium until it’s nice and brown on the outside (about 5 minutes).
Then remove it to a cutting board and slice it into rounds. It’s not completely cooked through yet, but that’s okay because it’s going right back into the pot…
Cook it a little more or until the sausage has browned and there is a nice golden coating on the bottom of the pot (that’s where the flavor is at!).
While the sausage is cooking, slice your vegetables (1 small onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 8 oz. mushrooms). You can slice or dice the onion and slice or mince the garlic, depending on how big you want the pieces to be in the finished dish. They both cook down considerably, so I left them in slices.
Once the sausage has browned, add one 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes, the sliced onion, mushrooms, and garlic. Also add 1 tsp dried oregano and 1 tsp dried basil. Give this mixture a good stir to dissolve the browned bits off the bottom of the pot.
Finally, add 4 cups of vegetable broth and one pound of rigatoni. Stir to combine.
Cover the pot and turn the heat up to high. Let the pot come to a full, rapid boil. Once it reaches a full boil, give it a stir to loosen any pasta that might be sticking, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to low. Let the pot simmer on low for 15 minutes, giving it a stir every five minutes or so.
After 15 minutes, the pasta should be tender and most of the liquid should be absorbed. If it’s still too liquidy for you, just let it simmer for a minute or two without the lid.
Stir in 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan to add a little body to the sauce, then top with some fresh chopped parsley (optional).
Super easy! And who doesn’t love pasta with red sauce? WHO? (I know, now I’ll get someone who says otherwise in the comments… ;) )
I made it this morning for lunch and it is delicious!
Do you think these kind of pasta dishes can be scaled down – halved or quartered? Since I live alone, a whole box of pasta would be sitting around in my fridge for a while before I could eat it all! Just wondering if the broth ratios would work in a smaller batch.
Absolutely! :) You shouldn’t have to make any changes other than quantities.
Thank you!
The other option, and usually what I do, is freeze up portions in plastic bags. I have a freezer of a bunch of meals now.
My boyfriend made this for us and it turned out great! He excluded the mushrooms (he forgot to buy them, oops!) and the parsley, and it was still awesome. I love that it’s cooking the pasta in the sauce… so much more flavor in every bite! :)
I love your recipes but cannot use vegetable broth because of the sodium, so I boil mushrooms for 30 mins and use the water as broth. It has an umami flavour and is zero sodium. It goes perfectly with this recipe.
Hello Beth,
Just wanted to say that I asked for your cookbook for my birthday, and my mother-in-law got it for me! Your recipes have fed me and my husband for a long time. Thank you so much for posting these, and your cookbook is great!
If this dish is half as good as your spinach and sausage dish, I’m sold. I’ll be trying this one for my work lunches!
This looks amazing!
I’m trying to be more aware of my sodium intake when I cook at home. Do you think there would be major flavor consequences if I used two cups of broth and two cups of water (instead of four cups broth)?
Thanks for the great recipes!
Maybe try low sodium broth instead. That way you’ll still get all of the flavor without the sodium.
Hi! I made this last night, and it was great! I used penne, because that’s what I had on hand, and my entire family liked it! A rarity! What a great idea–cooking the pasta in the same pan as the rest of the meal. It made cleanup a breeze! Thanks!
Love the recipe. Can’t wait to try it! By the way can you take a look at my blog http://www.mypoorkitchen.com and give me pointers on how to improve it!?
Frank
I love your method of making pasta dishes! I have actually been experimenting since your Italian Wonderpot recipe made me realize that the Hamburger Helper-type meals I lived on in college were the same thing and that I could apply that same technique to all of my pasta meals haha. Yummy!
Can’t wait to grill up the other half of the pack of sausage and have it on a bun with onions and peppers. Mmm mmm mmm!
Your recipes are always so amazing and inspiring. Can’t wait to try this one out!!
Darn it! I wish I saw this post before I made pasta the normal, lazy way with tons of pots and pans. Will be trying this the next time I get a hankering for pasta. Thanks!
This looks good. However, i am not very fond of mushrooms and onions. What are some good substitutues for these veggies?
Sausage AND shrooms. Bring it on.
I can smell this one from here.
I’m reminded of them time I returned to work after a serious bout of the flu. (Haven’t skipped a shot since.) I bought a dish rather like this in the company cafeteria. I only had enough appetite for a few mouthfuls. Then I sat there wearily — whereupon the smell revived my appetite. A few more bites, another pause, repeated until plate empty.
Garlic *is* good for you!