Keep it simple with this delicious and hearty chicken sausage pasta recipe. Juicy chicken sausage is paired with brussel sprouts and al dente pasta in a family-favorite recipe for any weeknight!
This year marks 12 years of food blogging for me! It’s crazy to think I’ve been doing this for over a decade but what’s even crazier is that there’s recipes that I’ve been cooking since my pre-blogging days that I still haven’t shared.
This chicken sausage pasta recipe is one of them! I distinctly remember that the first iteration of this recipe was taken from a very old Trader Joe’s cookbook (do those still exist?!) and featured their cooked chicken sausage.
C and I made it weekly since we did all of our grocery shopping from Trader Joe’s…on a max budget of $50 a week. How we managed to eat every single one of our meals for only $50 a week is beyond me (especially in these times!) but we were saved my simple and delicious recipes like this one.
So while the original recipe and cookbook are long gone, this version of chicken sausage pasta remains. Now we live in Minnesota with our two kids who also love this recipe. Life is pretty crazy! I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.
Why Make This Recipe?
Ready in 30 minutes – the perfect 30 minute meal packed full of protein, carbs and veggies!
Simple ingredients – nothing fancy here. You probably already have most of these ingredients at home, including that bottle of white wine that sat a little too long in the fridge!
Easily customizable – prefer a different noodle? Swap it in! Have some broccoli you need to use? Throw it in! Gluten-free? This chicken sausage pasta begs for some gluten-free noodles. No matter what your preference is there’s likely a version of this recipe that you will love.
Ingredients in Chicken Sausage Pasta
- Penne pasta – You can use any type of pasta you desire.
- Olive oil – for cooking veggies and sausage.
- Shallots – thinly sliced for even cooking.
- Garlic cloves – ideally use freshly minced garlic cloves rather than the refrigerator kind.
- Brussel sprouts – this is my preferred veggie since I find they pair really well with sausage and pasta but feel free to use a different veggie.
- Chicken sausage – this recipe can be made with either sweet or spicy chicken sausage or with pre-cooked or uncooked sausage. I like to buy my sausage from Trader Joe’s or Adelle’s.
- Butter – this is the base of our creamy white wine sauce.
- White wine – this brings a depth of flavor to this recipe that is hard to replicate. All of the alcohol is burned off in the cooking so it’s still safe to consume.
- Reserved pasta water – scoop out a 1/2 cup of pasta water before you strain your pasta. This water is salty and also contains starch to help thicken the sauce.
- Parmesan – grated parmesan is ideal. Feel free to reserve some to sprinkle on top, if desired.
- Salt + Pepper – can be reduced or increased based on taste and sodium preferences.
- Parsley – just a little bit of chopped parsley goes a long way.
How to Make Chicken Sausage Pasta
STEP 1: COOK PASTA
Cook your pasta al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water for later. Strain pasta and set aside.
STEP 2: COOK VEGGIES + SAUSAGE
To a large pot add olive oil, shallots and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. Add in your brussel sprouts and cook with shallots and garlic for 2 minutes. Place a lid on your pot and allow brussel sprouts to steam for 3 minutes. Continue to cook until brussel sprouts have softened. Add in your chicken sausage and cook until fully cooked through or warm (this will depend on if you’re using pre-cooked sausage or not). Remove chicken sausage veggie mixture from pot and set aside in a bowl.
STEP 2: MAKE SAUCE
Add butter to the same pot you cooked your chicken sausage veggie mixture in and allow to melt over medium heat. Pour in the white wine and deglaze your pan by scraping off the browned bits on the bottom. Stir in reserved pasta water, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Stir in cooked pasta and chicken and veggie mixture. Top with parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.
Easy Swaps & Substitutions
Make it gluten-free – sub in gluten-free pasta to make this recipe fully gluten-free.
Add some spice – sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for a little heat.
Swap the veggie – I like brussel sprouts in this recipe but I’ve made it with everything from broccoli to peas to spinach.
Change the meat – I like using chicken sausage but feel free to sub in any kind of protein you desire.
FAQs
It does not. You will be cooking your sausage but simply heat up if it’s already cooked or cook fully through if it’s uncooked.
I don’t remove the casing in this recipe.
Absolutely! Feel free to sub in whatever pasta you prefer. I’ve made this chicken sausage pasta with everything from rigatoni to orrechiete.
Storage Instructions
This chicken sausage pasta recipe will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Simply reheat leftovers in the microwave or on the stove top.
Freezer Instructions: Store leftovers in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw overnight in the fridge. Reheat on stove top.
More Pasta Recipes:
Chicken Sausage Pasta
Keep it simple with this delicious and hearty chicken sausage pasta recipe. Juicy chicken sausage is paired with brussel sprouts and al dente pasta in a family-favorite recipe for any weeknight!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- 1 lb penne pasta (or other noodle)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb brussel sprouts, ends removed + halved
- 12 ounces chicken sausage (sweet or spicy), sliced
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- Cook your pasta al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water for later. Strain pasta and set aside.
- To a large pot add olive oil, shallots and garlic and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat.
- Add in your brussel sprouts and cook with shallots and garlic for 2 minutes. Place a lid on your pot and allow brussel sprouts to steam for 3 minutes. Continue to cook until brussel sprouts have softened.
- Add in your chicken sausage and cook until fully cooked through (this will depend on if you’re using pre-cooked sausage or not).
- Remove chicken sausage veggie mixture from pot and set aside in a bowl.
- Add butter to the same pot you cooked your chicken sausage veggie mixture in and allow to melt over medium heat.
- Pour in the white wine and deglaze your pan by scraping off the browned bits on the bottom.
- Stir in reserved pasta water, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in cooked pasta and chicken and veggie mixture.
- Top with parmesan and chopped parsley and serve.
- Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
