This creamy chicken sausage pasta is full of flavor and delicious, and you can have it on the table in less than 30 minutes. This recipe is just perfect for those busy school nights.
You can never go wrong with pasta. It’s easy to make, comes together quickly, and the varieties and combinations of ingredients you can use are endless. If you are looking for a quick and easy pasta dish, one that calls for only a few ingredients, and is ready in less than 30 minutes, then you will love this chicken sausage pasta dish! It is sure to please even the pickiest eater.
The flavors in this recipe are amazing! It has a light creamy tomato-based sauce with low-fat cream cheese, chicken sausage, and mozzarella cheese.
Why you will love this chicken sausage pasta dish
- It is easy to make and it is done in less than 30 minutes
- It is perfect for a busy weeknight dinner
- Made with ingredients you probably already have at home already
- Easily customizable – You can get as creative with the ingredients as you want! Use any kind of pasta, white creamy sauce instead of tomato-based sauce. Add kale or spinach. Parmesan cheese instead of mozzarella cheese. You can add any sauteed vegetables you love, ground beef, or chicken cubes instead of chicken sausage (the possibilities are endless really)
I love cooking pasta dishes on busy weeknights or even on weekends when our schedules are busy and we need something whipped up in no time. I love that this recipe can be adjusted and it can be made with a variety of different substitutions depending on what you already have in your fridge/pantry.
Ingredients
- Chicken sausage – About one pound of chicken sausage. For this recipe, we love the flavor of the chicken sausage but you could use any protein you prefer or have on hand. Any ground meat of your choice, chicken breast, or boneless chicken thighs or strips could also be substituted in this chicken sausage pasta dish
- Linguine Pasta – We love using linguine pasta because my kiddos love the shape but any other kind of pasta will work. Spaghetti could also be substituted in this recipe easily, but other shapes like penne, farfalle, Orchiette, and small or large shells all work well. You will need a pound of pasta for this recipe.
- Tomato paste – I love using tomato paste because it has a rich tomato flavor but you can also use tomato sauce, or fresh tomatoes as well.
- Onion – One small yellow union is what you need for this recipe.
- Garlic – 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Mozzarella cheese – Half a cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. But you could definitely add more if you prefer.
- Cream cheese – 3 tablespoons of cream cheese makes this creamy sauce light and airy and full of flavor.
How to make Creamy Chicken sausage pasta
See the recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Cook Pasta – Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook it according to the instructions. Cook stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. When draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Cook the chicken sausage and sauce – In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage. Break up into little pieces as much as you can. I love using this meat masher. It makes it so much easier to break up any ground meat. Add the diced onion and the minced garlic.
Once the meat, onion, and garlic are cooked season with salt and pepper and add the tomato paste.
Then stir in the cream cheese, one cup of water, and half of the cheese.
Add the drained pasta to the pan with the sauce and stir to coat. Serve warm and top with the remaining cheese.
Leftovers and Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days
- You may need to add a bit of stock or water when reheating the pasta
- I do not recommend freezing this meal
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Creamy Chicken Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb 453g chicken sausage
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1.5 oz 45g tomato paste (or half a cup of tomato sauce)
- 12 oz pasta
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese
- 1 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup water
Instructions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta, and cook it according to the instructions. Cook stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. When draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water.
- While the pasta is cooking, in a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil over medium heat. Add the sausage. Break up into little pieces as much as you can. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add the diced onion and the minced garlic. Cook until sausage is browned and cooked through.
- Stir in the tomato paste and stir everything together until it is all well coated.
- Slowly add the water and stir until everything is well combined. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3-5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Stir in the cream cheese and half of the shredded cheese.
- Drain the pasta.
- Add the drained pasta to the pan with the meat sauce. Slowly stir until everything is coated in the creamy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water, if desired.
- Serve warm, top with parsley, if desired, and the remaining shredded cheese.
- Enjoy!
