Easy sausage and mushroom pasta dinner
The best and most comforting meals are always made with pasta. So tender and flavorful, you can easily mix pasta with any kind of meat, sauce, or veggies to make the comfort food of your dreams! This Italian Sausage Pasta is a real treat as it’s made with Italian sausage links, baked mushrooms, rigatoni pasta, and tomato sauce. Every bite is so warming and flavorful, plus it’s on the dinner table in less than an hour! This 5-ingredient pasta and sausage dish is so easy to make and a perfect family meal. Serve the bowls of pasta with Homemade Garlic Knots and a Roasted Tomato Salad on the side for a dinner no one will forget.
What are Italian sausages?
Italian sausages are made from seasoned ground pork and usually come in two flavors: mild and spicy. The mild variety are seasoned with fennel, anise, and dried herbs while the spicy kind add in chili flakes. Italian sausages are much more flavorful than regular pork sausages because of these added seasonings. They add some real character and intricacy to pasta dishes and I don’t recommend using anything else because you’ll miss out on the authentic Italian flavors!
How to bake Italian sausages
The sausage links need to be cooked right off the bat so the pasta skillet is easy to put together. I like to bake the sausages and mushrooms together because they don’t need to be watched as closely:
How to make sausage pasta
Now it’s time to put it all together! This sausage and pasta skillet is ready to eat in just a few minutes: While sausages are baking, cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain it, then add the pasta to a large skillet with the sliced sausages, mushrooms, and pasta sauce. Cook until everything is heated through. Serve individual bowls with a sprinkle of parsley and parmesan cheese, then enjoy!
Can I pan fry the sausage instead?
Yes! If you don’t want to bake the sausages, pan fry them in a skillet with a thin layer of water. Bring it up to a simmer, place a lid on top, and cook until the water evaporates and the sausages are brown on all sides.
Tips and substitutions
Cook the Italian sausages until they reach an internal temperature of 160ºF. A meat thermometer will make this easy to check. Make this with your favorite pasta sauce or use my spicy tomato sauce, beef tomato sauce, or roma tomato sauce. Add more veggies to the pasta, like bell peppers, garlic, onion, zucchini, asparagus, carrots, green beans, and tomatoes. Give it some spice by swapping the Italian sausage links for hot Italian sausage. These will have a few extra spices, like chili flakes, to really bring the heat! For more Italian flavor, stir fennel seeds and fresh basil into the pasta skillet. Turn this into a creamy Italian sausage pasta by switching the red pasta sauce for 2 cups of heavy cream.
What can I serve with sausage and mushroom pasta?
Serve this Italian feast with some authentic sides, like Italian Bread, Garlic Knots, roasted potatoes or zucchini, and peas with pancetta. If you want to lighten things up, Strawberry Spinach Salad and Kale Salad are always refreshing and the perfect complement to the heavy pasta. Don’t forget the Anise Sprinkle Cookies for dessert!
Storing leftovers
To store, keep the leftover pasta and sausage in an airtight container in the fridge. It should stay fresh for 3 to 4 days. To reheat, warm the leftovers in a skillet on the stove over low to medium heat. You can also reheat them for 1 or 2 minutes in a microwave.
More comforting pasta recipes to try
Tomato Macaroni and Cheese Butter Garlic Pasta with Broccoli Creamy Brussels Sprouts Rigatoni Cheesy Shrimp Pasta Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Soup Pasta and Peas Chicken Meatballs and Spaghetti Creamy Vegetable Ziti Parsley Parmesan Pasta Pea Shoots Pasta
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