Stop everything and listen closely. I’ve been making new recipes every week for over seven years and can honestly say this One Pot Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is one of the best things I’ve ever made. I fully intend to make a second batch tomorrow, or whatever day my leftovers run out. Hopefully that’s not before tomorrow, but I’m not making any promises.
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Why I Love this One Pot Pasta
Why is this pasta so great? Well, I was able to use a bunch of things that I already have in my pantry, freezer, and fridge. In fact, the only thing I bought for this was the sausage, and that’s something I often DO have in my freezer (because I usually use half pound at a time). In other words, this is a GREAT last-minute “pantry” dinner.
Second, because it’s “one pot” style, there’s barely any clean up and a LOT of flavor. Not one drop of goodness is lost because everything cooks together. And lastly, it’s a very well rounded meal. Vegetables, pasta, meat, it’s all there! #win
Tips for One Pot Pasta Success
Some people find this “one pot” style of cooking pasta a little tricky, so let me give you a few pointers.
- You need to use a thick bottomed pot or skillet so that it heats evenly.
- The amount of water or broth you will need will vary with the size and shape of pasta that you use. As you near the end of the cooking time, take note of the amount of liquid in the bottom of the skillet. If there is still a lot of liquid, let it simmer for the last 2-3 minutes without the lid to allow for evaporation (don’t drain it). If the liquid all gets absorbed before the pasta is tender, simply add a little water.
- Make sure the heat under the skillet is set to the lowest temperature that maintains a steady simmer in the broth. If it stops simmering it will not cook the pasta. If it boils or simmers too hard the whole time it can dry up and the bottom can scorch. Feel it out. It gets easier every time, just like riding a bike.
You ready for this?
This shape of pasta is called campanelle. So pretty, right??
One Pot Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 8 oz sweet Italian sausage ($2.00)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.13)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1/2 lb frozen broccoli florets ($0.85)
- 2 cups chicken broth* ($0.28)
- 1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes ($1.00)
- 8 oz pasta (any small shape**) ($0.80)
- Pinch of red pepper (optional) ($0.02)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.41)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and sausage to the skillet and cook over medium heat until browned. If using links, cook them until browned on the outside and firm enough to slice, then slice into medallions, return to the skillet, and brown on both sides. Transfer the cooked sausage to a clean bowl and drain off all but about 1 Tbsp fat from the skillet.
- Add the minced garlic and frozen broccoli florets to the skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or just until the broccoli is bright green and no longer frozen. Transfer the broccoli florets to the bowl with the sausage.
- Add the chicken broth to the skillet and stir or whisk to dissolve the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Slice the sun dried tomatoes into strips and add them to the broth with the pasta and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Stir, place a lid on top, and turn the heat up to medium high. When the broth begins to boil, give the skillet a quick stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to low or just above low so that the broth maintains a simmer.
- Simmer the pasta and sun dried tomatoes for about 7 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes, or until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. If the pasta becomes tender before all the broth has been absorbed, simply let it simmer for the last couple of minutes without the lid.
- Once the pasta is tender and only a small amount of thickened liquid remains in the bottom of the skillet, add the cooked sausage and broccoli back to the pasta. Stir to combine and sprinkle the grated Parmesan over top. Serve immediately.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Sausage One Pot Pasta – Step by Step Photos
Begin by browning 1/2 lb. sweet Italian sausage in a skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil, over medium heat. You can use ground sausage or links. If using links, brown them whole until they are firm enough to slice, then slice into medallions, return them to the skillet, and brown them on both sides. Once the sausage is browned and cooked through, transfer it to a clean bowl and drain off all but about 1 Tbsp of the fat from the skillet.
Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and 1/2 lb. frozen broccoli florets to the skillet. Continue to sauté over medium until the broccoli is bright green and no longer frozen (3-5 minutes, do not over cook). Transfer the broccoli to the bowl with the sausage.
Next, add 2 cups chicken broth to the skillet and stir or whisk it to dissolve the browned bits off the bottom. Add 8oz. dry pasta (any small-ish shape), about 1/3 cup sliced sun dried tomatoes, and a pinch of red pepper flakes (optional). Stir everything together, place a lid on the skillet, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Allow the broth to come up to a boil, then give it a quick stir, replace the lid, and turn the heat down to low or just above low (the lowest temperature needed to maintain a simmer).
Stir the pasta every couple of minutes, replacing the lid quickly each time to maintain the simmer, until the pasta is tender (about 7 minutes). If there is still too much liquid when the pasta is tender, let it simmer for a minute or two without the lid.
There should be SOME thickened liquid in the bottom of the skillet. This is concentrated flavor that will coat the sausage and broccoli once they’re added back in.
Finally, stir the cooked sausage and broccoli back into the simmered pasta. You can either sprinkle the Parmesan over the pasta in the skillet and stir it all together, or sprinkle a tablespoon or so over each bowl.
And that’s all it takes to make some of the most amazing pasta you’ve ever had in your life.
Seriously. 🤤
Um, I made this last night…and it was INCREDIBLE!
Glad you liked it!
Made this tonight and it was so good! Didn’t have much fat to drain and I used fusilli pasta which took 11 minutes to cook to ‘al dente’ but that was enough time for all the broth to absorb. Definitely going to add this to my rotation of meals!
This was delicious! I used turkey sausage and my own homemade chicken broth, kept everything else about the same, and used rotini shaped noodles – I thought these absorbed the flavor well. I also added extra salt and cheese. My very picky 9 year old actually took seconds and for once I didn’t have to force her to eat her broccoli. Win!
I got your email and wanted to try this right away! This dish has a ton of flavor, and I got to use up some of the sausage that I bought for your Sausage Kale Cassoulet recipe. Both of these recipes were great, and I will make again in the future! Thanks Beth!!
I made this two nights ago and Mr. MLM couldn’t wait for it to be ready. I’m not a huge broccoli fan, but this was very good. Loved the combination of flavors.
I made this last night and it came out fantastic! I don’t always like sundries tomatoes (or broccoli) but I loved this. Very easy too!
Do you suggest the oil-packed tomatoes or the dry ones? Or does it not make a difference?
I am a vegetarian and am going to try this with veggie sausage. Field Roast is a great brand. Love your blog!
I normally like the oil packed ones because they are more tender and seem to me to have more flavor, but for this recipe I think dry would almost be better because they plump up as they simmer in the broth. :)
For the oil-packed sun dried tomatoes, I suggest using a paper towel to soak up the extra oil before putting them in the pot. They can release a lot of oil while cooking and make the dish a bit too oily at the end. At least, that was my experience.
I also tried the dry-packed tomatoes; they were fine and absorbed enough liquid during the cooking process to be flavourful and easy to chew. Bonus: they are usually less expensive as well!
Omnomnom. This is soooo flavorful and comforting. Also very quick and easy to make. It was perfect to throw together after a very long day at work.
I subbed tofurkey Italian sausage (I added a sprinkle of fennel while browning) subbed bell peppers and red onion for the broccoli and used whole wheat shells – needed almost an extra cup of water. Delicious. I don’t see us having leftovers. Thanks, Beth!!
I was wondering if you try to eat a certain diet? LIke mediterranean or low-carb? LIke how do you try to balance your diet? Are you very conscientious about it?
I really try to stay away from specific diets. I’m more of an “all things in moderation” type of person. :) I value variety in my diet, so I don’t like diets that try to restrict certain food groups. For me it’s all about keeping my portions in check and not snacking all day.
I am interested in this but not a fan of the flavor of Italian sausage. Would a smoked sausage work as well? or breakfast sausage?
Smoked sausage might be a nice twist!
I made this last night and it was great! Only a couple of things:
(1) I found that the sausages only gave me about a tablespoon of grease, so draining wasn’t really necessary. Probably depends on the sausage you use (I used uncooked Italian pork sausage from Trader Joes)
(2) The printed recipe and the step-by-step differ as to how long to cook the broccoli (once says 2-3 minutes, other says 3-5)… however I found that even after 5 minutes the broccoli was still partially frozen and cold to the touch.
(3) I used fusilli pasta which worked great. Also, it’d be helpful to get an idea of how much sun-dried tomato to buy, by weight. (I bought a 3-oz Trader Joe’s package and I think I used about half of the package)… also, sun-dried tomatoes are sold both dry and in oil, it’d be nice to specify which is preferable for the recipe. (I used the dry ones and they worked well)
(4) My instinct when I added the chicken stock was that there wasn’t enough liquid for the pasta (the liquid didn’t completely cover the pasta) but it seemed to come out ok… I probably would add slightly more liquid in the future, as the pasta was slightly more firm than I like, but it wasn’t a big deal.
I made something similar to this the other night and it was SO GOOD. Using chicken broth made all the difference. Mine had Aldi’s mix of kale, swiss chard + spinach instead of broccoli and chicken sausage with feta and sundried tomato. Also caramelized some onion and baby bella mushrooms. (P.S. I pretty much only cook from this site and Smitten Kitchen. Keep up the great posts and recipes so I can keep eating well ha. :) )
Made this for dinner last night, and I think it might be my boyfriend’s favorite thing that I’ve ever cooked. SO GOOD. I am very excited to eat my leftovers for lunch soon (I would have gotten two lunches out of it if my boyfriend hadn’t gone back for seconds, haha), and am thrilled that I have leftover ingredients. I’ll definitely be making this again next week! So quick, easy, and delicious — I love it!
Sorry, I’m a bit dense and want to make sure I don’t ruin this recipe! So you should add the uncooked pasta to the 2 cups of broth and that will 1) cook the pasta entirely and 2) absorb most of the excess liquid? Thanks in advance and this looks super tasty! Can’t wait to try it :)
Yep, that’s exactly right! :) The uncooked pasta simmers in the broth until the pasta is tender and at that point the broth will be almost completely absorbed. Keeping the lid on the skillet as it simmers helps trap the steam, which gets absorbed by the pasta that is not fully covered by the liquid broth.