One-Pot Pasta With Sausage and Spinach

By Yasmin Fahr

Published Sept. 2, 2020

One-Pot Pasta With Sausage and Spinach
Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(2,776)
Comments
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This is the one-pot recipe to make when chopping an onion feels like too much work. Cooking the pasta in a combination of passata (puréed raw tomatoes) and water seasoned with cumin and red-pepper flakes infuses it with flavor all the way through. Cumin adds a subtle earthiness to the dish, but you can also use the same seasonings as those in the sausage you’ve chosen, like dried oregano, thyme, basil, paprika, fennel seeds or garlic. (Check the ingredients list on the package, if you're not sure.) Baby arugula, kale or other leafy greens could be substituted for the spinach, just make sure to tear or cut them into small, bite-size pieces. To make a vegetarian version, you could use mushrooms in place of the sausage at the start of the recipe, then continue with the rest.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1tablespoon olive oil
  • 2sweet or hot Italian sausages (5 to 6 ounces), casings removed
  • 1(24-ounce) jar passata or (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • ½teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt
  • 1pound cavatappi, fusilli or other small, tubular pasta
  • 5packed cups baby spinach (about 5 ounces)
  • ½cup grated Parmesan
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

700 calories; 20 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 100 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 11 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 884 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a 12-inch, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid or a Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Use your hands to pull the sausages apart into small pieces; add to the skillet and cook untouched for 1 minute.

  2. Step 2

    Continue to cook for another 4 to 6 minutes, stirring at 1-minute intervals and breaking up the sausage into ½-inch chunks, until browned and crispy on the outside with no pink remaining. If you have more than 1 tablespoon of fat in the pan, drain the excess.

  3. Step 3

    Carefully pour in the passata (it may splatter), then add the cumin, red-pepper flakes and 2 cups water, stirring to combine. Season with salt and increase the heat to bring to a boil.

  4. Step 4

    Add the pasta, coating it with the liquid. (It won’t be fully submerged, and that’s OK.) Adjust the heat to maintain an active simmer with small bubbles forming on the surface. Cover and let cook, stirring every few minutes to make sure nothing is sticking at the bottom of the pan, until the pasta is al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions. If the pasta is still hard at this point, add a few tablespoons of warm water at a time and cook until just al dente. Depending on your pasta size and shape, you may need to add several tablespoons of water.

  5. Step 5

    When the pasta is just al dente, reduce the heat to low and season to taste with salt. Stir in the spinach in batches, and cook, uncovered, until most of the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute more. (It will continue to wilt in the heat of the pasta after you serve it.) If the pasta seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon warm water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.

  6. Step 6

    Divide pasta among serving bowls and top with Parmesan.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,776 user ratings
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Comments

Jim

For a more robust, toasted peppery flavor, put the red pepper flakes in with the sausage during Step 1, rather than with the watery ingredients in Step 3. Besides the browning effect on the flavor, the oil in the red pepper flakes will be more fully released when it’s first cooked in oil.

josh

Solid base, but definitely doesn’t hurt to punch it up. Sautéed some onions and garlic before adding sausage and this turned into a great weeknight dish

Irene

For vegetarians, plant-based protein sausages work well, and round out the nutrition and spirit of the recipe as opposed to mushrooms. Several great brands can be found at Whole Foods and elsewhere.

Sandy

I followed exactly and found it to be quite bland and the pasta was mushy. It needed tons of salt and I will add the rest of the package of hot sausages before I eat the rest of it.

Ruby P.

Once the sausage is cooked through, remove it from the pot and sauté a couple cloves of garlic, 1 tbsp. tomato paste, and the 1/2 tsp. chili flakes in the remaining fat. This will create a base of flavor and depth for the sauce. Don't add the sausage back in until the end. If it's left in the pot as instructed, it boils and loses its crispness and flavor. The fond left behind should be enough to flavor the sauce.

John Catlin

Followed the recipe and the dish was delish!

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