Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta With Spinach

Creamy Italian sausage pasta is easy to make and super delicious. It’s made with spicy or mild (your choice!) Italian sausage cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. You’ll love it!

A bowl of creamy Italian sausage pasta with penne, spinach, and a sprinkle of cheese. - 1

Few dinners are cozier than a creamy bowl of pasta. This one, made with Italian sausage and a little spinach, is as cozy as they come. 🤗

This easy dinner recipe is sure to become your family’s favorite. The creamy tomato sauce has tons of flavor, thanks to Italian sausages, a little white wine, and some tomato paste that gets sweet and caramelized when cooked.

Even though it’s a real treat, this is a super-fast and easy pasta recipe. In just 25 minutes, you can sit at the table (or stand at the stovetop) and dig into this creamy Italian sausage pasta for dinner.

Key ingredients

Italian sausages – you can choose either mild or spicy Italian sausage, whichever you and your family like better.
White wine – or sub chicken stock for an alcohol-free version.
Crushed tomatoes – you can also use diced tomatoes, if that’s what you have on hand. Or blend a can of whole tomatoes.
Cream cheese – this is the special ingredient that makes the Italian sausage pasta incredibly creamy. You could use heavy cream, but cream cheese makes this pasta dish extra creamy.
Spinach – the little pop of color works great in this recipe. You could also use another green, like kale, but it would need to be cooked a little longer.

I make this recipe often when I’m craving something cozy but don’t have the energy to spend much time in the kitchen.

A close up of Italian sausage pasta in a pot. - 3

It comes together easily, and my family is always happy when I make it.

How I like to cook the sausage for this pasta

I like to remove the casing (the wrapper) from the sausage and use a wooden spoon to break it apart as it cooks. When cooked this way, you can easily control the size of the pieces. Break them up a little, and you’ll have big chunks; break them up a lot, and they’ll have a texture similar to ground beef.

But it is also delicious sliced into chunks before or after cooking. Slicing the sausage before cooking will yield larger pieces. If you cook the whole sausage first, you can cut it into thin pieces.

Sausage pasta recipe variations

We love the recipe exactly as written, but it’s also fun to play around with. Here are a few add-ins you can try:

Something salty like olives or capers
Extra veggies like sautéed bell peppers, mushrooms, or kale
Herbs like basil or oregano
Some spicy red pepper flakes

Serving suggestions

This recipe is easily a meal by itself. But if you’d like to add a side dish, some garlic bread and a salad, like some romaine lettuce tossed in my easy Caesar dressing that tastes like the real deal are two great option.

Store and reheat

Store: If you have any leftover pasta after dinner, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Reheat: Use your microwave or reheat them in a pan over medium heat on your stove, adding a little water to the pan.

Freeze: If you’d like to freeze leftover Italian sausage pasta, ensure it is completely cool, then transfer it to a freezer-proof container. I love to use these reusable Stasher freezer bags . Frozen pasta will keep well for up to 3 months in the freezer, so you’ll have an easy comfort food dinner on hand any time you want it!