Easiest Chicken and Sausage Pasta with spinach in a light cream sauce. This 30 minute meal is the perfect family-friendly meal with flavors to please even the picky eaters!
Serve this up with my favorite simple tossed green salad or Italian side salad. And when you’re done, be sure to try more of my easy skillet meals like this one pan shrimp and asparagus!
Ohhhhh you guys. This is a serious contender for one of my top five favorite 30 minute meals. Which, let’s be real, is a big deal considering 30 minute meals are kind of my specialty. So when I tell you that when I made this dish, knowing full well it had all the makings of a great, even an awesome dish…it still exceeded my expectations when I took that first bite.
Annnnd the second. And the third. And the 18th. And by the end of the meal I was wishing I had a second stomach to go for round two and three. Maybe just a midnight snack? Or breakfast? Yes, breakfast then. It’s completely acceptable to serve up chicken and sausage pasta leftovers at 8am right…?
Of course it is. You do you honey.
How Do You Make Chicken and Sausage Pasta?
Combine chicken, sausage, and spinach in a 2-inch deep skillet along with some garlic and a hearty drizzle of olive oil. Saute over medium-high heat til the chicken is cooked through and sausage begins to brown around the edges. Add in a little heavy cream, or fat free half and half for a lighter option, a couple tablespoons of parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir, taste, salt and pepper more if needed, then serve and devour.
What Sides Go Well with Sausage and Chicken?
- an easy tossed green side salad
- lor a tossed Italian green salad
- 30 minute garlic knots will never steer you wrong
- quick and creamy cucumber salad
- caprese salad
How Do I Cook Sausage?
Sausage is so versatile! You can cook it in a pan on the stove, bake it on a sheet pan or in a casserole dish, grill it, or even put it in a foil packet. In my opinion, the best way to cook sausage is sliced, in a cast iron skillet. So much flavor comes from browning the sausage in a cast iron skillet and it’s so quick!
Can I Reheat Chicken and Sausage Pasta?
Absolutely! You can microwave it of course, but to maintain flavor and moisture, I love to throw it back in a skillet on the stove with a tablespoon of butter and a splash of chicken stock, whole milk, or half and half to make it nice and creamy again. Revives the flavors in a just a few minutes stirred over medium-high heat.
More Pasta Recipes
- Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage
- Cajun Shrimp Alfredo Pasta
- Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Bacon
- Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
Chicken and Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts - thinly sliced into strips
- 1 pound kielbasa sausage - sliced into rounds
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper - or a pinch of ground pepper
- 8 ounces penne pasta - cooked and drained
- ½ cup heavy cream - or half and half for a lighter option
- 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese - optional
Instructions
- Drizzle a large, 2-inch deep skillet with olive oil.
- Add chicken, sausage, spinach, and garlic to the pan.
- Saute over medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes until chicken is cooked through and sausage starts to brown around the edges.
- Add cream and stir 1-2 minutes til thickened. Stir in pasta.
- Season with salt, pepper, and parmesan and stir well.
- Garnish with cracked black pepper and fresh herbs if desired and serve.
Can you make this without the cream?? My son LOVES sausage and chicken not a fan of cream?
You can try substituting the cream for half and half, butter & milk, greek yogurt, or milk. The milk alone will definitely make it so it’s not as creamy at the end.
what can I substitute for the spinach?
You can use kale, Swiss chard, or romaine lettuce 🙂
This recipe tastes amazing! I altered the recipe slightly by using a pre- cooked whole rotisserie chicken I already had on hand in place of the boneless skinless chicken breast, fresh spinach and made a parmesan cheese sauce with a flour roux using half heavy whipping cream and half milk in place of the light sauce. Paired with a salad and french bread I’ll definitely be making again!
This is a fan favorite in our house, and something my husband asks for at least twice a month. I use all the same ingredients when making it, however I end up leaving the chicken and sausage to saute a little bit before I add the garlic and spinach to make sure they blend and char/mark a little. Then after I add the noodles straight from the boiling water, I let the noodles sit in with the other ingredients on a low heat which almost puts a slight bake the them. I also make sure to reserve some of the pasta water and add in a little as I mix it up while the meal is setting to make it a little saucey in consistency (but I add maybe 1/3 cup of the water, sometimes more, sometimes less).
So delicious, thank you for this recipe!
Sounds delicious! So glad your family loves it so much! 🙂
Amazing and easy! My husband raved about this! Will be adding to our rotation!