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
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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.
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Notes
Nutrition
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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… ;) )
Beth,
My sister is allergic to tomatoes, but I’d like to somehow alter this recipe to make it for her. Is there something I could use in lieu of the crushed tomatoes that would still make for a successful dish?
I think I’d try increasing the broth by maybe 1/2 cup and just making it like that. Or, if you want to make it a creamy dish, you could stir in a little sour cream at the end to make it similar to a stroganoff.
To the Naysayers in the comments,
I used the EXACT measurements in this recipe and it came out perrrrrfect. Not the slightest bit watery. Follow the instructions to the tee and you won’t be disappointed. I used hot Italian sausage (sweet wasn’t available) and it tasted great.
So much win! I used a whole package of sausage and browned my produce quite a bit before adding the tomato sauce. Also did 3.5 cups of water since so many said it was too watery. I may squeeze the sausage out of the casing next time and cook it as crumbles. Super tasty and easy.
Incredible. I substituted mushrooms for 1 pack of broccoli and 1 pack of spinach. Will do this again!
This recipe is a big hit. I used the ground sweet Italian sausage and it is just as good.
This is so good! I found your site through a post on Imgur ( http://imgur.com/gallery/FDlR2 )and decided to try this one out. My family loved it and it made a ton. Thanks!
This was one of the best homemade pastas ever! Using the vegetable broth took the flavor to a whole other level, and I loved the combination of sausage and mushroom. The only change I would have made is to reduce the amount of broth to about 3.5 cups. It’s a little tricky getting the pasta to a perfect al dente using this one pot method but I’m sure it’ll be fine after a few tries. Thanks Beth :)
I made this last weekend and the flavors were soooo good. I only ranked it a 3 because it’s a little on the watery side and just as a personal preference my husband doesn’t like watery foods. Other than that the recipe was very good, tasty and easy to make. I may try this again and reduce the amount of broth.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit! The only thing I did differently was to use beef better than bouillon rather than the vegetable (since it’s what I had on hand). It’s definitely a recipe I’ll be hanging on to.
I just made the one pot pasta, oh my was it good. I used the rainbow penne pasta and fresh basil and fresh oregano instead of the dry herbs. Thank you for your great recipes. I can’t wait to try another one.
I’m italian and I want to say: you cannot do this. You cannot cook pasta and sauce in one pot. 15 minutes to cook the pasta? what? It’s cream in the end.
Here how you have to cook pasta: boil the water with some salt. Add the pasta. Stir. Cook a bit less of the time written on the box. That’s it.
Overcooked pasta is bad for your health and difficult to digest.
Yea they left out that step. I go confused but what you said is what im guessing is the initial way to add the pasta.
While I agree with the first bit, the last bit is dumb. “bad for your health and difficult to digest” ? Let’s see some sources or some proof or something.
But yeah, it’s no big deal to have another pot you boil the pasta in. Salt is all the flavor it needs, and you won’t have extremely mushy leftovers or overcooked rigatoni.
I’ve cooked this recipe several times, and my pasta has never been overdone.
Noodles are hardly unique to Italy, and I fail to see how your ethnicity gives you the right to tell someone their food is wrong…. especially when it’s obvious you’ve never tried.
Also, overcooked pasta may taste bad, but it most certainly has no ill effect on your health.
BOOM. Love it when mean comments get called out. Who the heck cares if it’s the “official” way to cook pasta??? It works and it tastes good.
Hey Beth,
As a uni student, I absolutely love your blog! the step-by-step pics are so easy to follow.
I was wondering how you store pasta dishes that are cooked in broth without them going mushy upon reheating? I stored mine in the fridge and when I microwaved it the next day, the pasta was far too mushy. Would storing it in the freezer be better?
No, the freezer probably wouldn’t be any different. Honestly, I haven’t noticed a mushiness. Maybe I’m not sensitive to it so I just don’t notice that it really is mushy! :) I just store my pasta in resealable plastic storage containers, like Ziploc or Gladware.
Great flavor! And I am all for fewer dishes to clean.
The only thing I’d change next time I try this is I’d cut down on the amount of broth used. 4 cups is a lot of broth…It ended up a little too soupy/stewy for my liking, and I couldn’t try to reduce the liquid any longer or else my pasta would’ve dissolved.
I like spicy, so I used hot italian sausage and added crushed red pepper flakes :) I’ll try this again!
I made this tonight and it is so good! I added a 12 oz. bag of frozen spinach, used a full pound of mild italian sausage, and used 12 oz. whole wheat pasta instead of 16 oz. regular pasta, but left everything else the same. I was a little worried it would be too watery with less pasta and the same amount of vegetable broth but it was perfect!
So delicious! I’ll probably make it a lot (and try some variations) over the next few weeks and months because the grocery store near me was selling 10-packs of Italian sausage for $10, so now I have 7 sausages in my freezer…
Nice!!