Sausage Pasta
Posted Jan 14, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This sausage pasta recipe is an easy, hearty dinner recipe your whole family will love. Pasta is smothered in a creamy, cheesy, sausage-based sauce for a cozy meal you’ll make on repeat.
This sausage pasta recipe has been a go-to dinner recipe for me for over a year now. It’s one of my family’s favorite meals – they literally cheer when they hear it’s what’s for dinner – and it’s so easy I make it all the time.
I mean, what’s not to love about this recipe? Sausage, garlic and onions are cooked until lightly golden-brown. Then, we add crushed tomatoes, cream, parmesan cheese, fresh basil (yum) and pasta for a creamy, dream main dish that is so delicious words can’t even describe it.
Make it once and it’ll become a favorite – guaranteed.
Sausage Pasta Recipe: Ingredients & Substitutions
I’ve made this recipe so many times, I can tell you all the best substitutions because I’ve tried them all!
- Pasta. Ok, I love the gemelli shaped pasta (I get it from Costco). But I’ve used every tubular pasta under the sun and they all work great – penne, rigatoni, ziti, etc.
- Italian sausage. We use mild sausage, but you can use spicy. I suggest using ground sausage not links.
- Onion. use your favorite. I prefer a sweet yellow or white onion, but have used red with great results.
- Heavy cream. half and half or whole milk both work well, but heavy cream really is the best choice. My kids can tell when I use something other than heavy cream – and they still love it but like the cream the best.
- Crushed tomatoes. I have kids who don’t like tomato chunks, so I use crushed. You can used diced tomatoes too it tastes great.
- Fresh basil. You can use dried but fresh is by far the best.
How to Make Sausage Pasta
We’ll walk through this recipe together step-by-step, and you can watch the video for additional guidance.
Begin by cooking the pasta in salted water – make sure it’s nice and salty! Then, drain the cooked pasta in a colander but do not rinse it with water. It absorbs the sauce so much better if you don’t rinse it.
While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Begin by cooking the sausage, onion and garlic together in a large pan. Break up the sausage as it cooks.
Once the sausage is cooked, add butter and flour and stir.
Then add the rest of the sauce ingredients.
Then, stir the sauce. As you can see, it will be a light pink/peachy color. Simmer the sauce until it turns a deeper red/orange.
Then, add the cooked and drained pasta and stir until it’s evenly coated.
Serve
Serve the sausage pasta immediately with extra fresh basil and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
It really is a whole meal in itself, except I often like to serve it with a salad or cooked veggies like roasted broccoli or Brussels sprouts.
Store/Freeze
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or the freezer for 1 month. Reheat covered in the microwave or on the stovetop,
Sausage Pasta Recipe FAQS
Use ground Italian sausage – mild or spicy depending on your preferences.
You can substitute whole milk or half-and-half, but the sauce will be thinner and not as rich than when made with heavy cream (my kids can tell when I do this, but still love it).
I recommend a tube-shaped pasta like gemelli, penne, rigatoni, or rotini. Wagon wheel shaped pasta also works and absorbs the sauce really well.
You can make the sauce in advance, but I suggest cooking the pasta fresh and combining them right before serving.
I often add shredded zucchini an cook it with the sausage, garlic and onions. You can also chop up bell peppers, carrots, etc. and cook it with the sausage.
Yes, use gluten-free flour and gluten-free pasta and the recipe is gluten-free!
If you make and love my recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, TikTok and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so I can see your creations!
Creamy Sausage Pasta Recipe
Video
Equipment
- 5 quart pot (for cooking pasta)
Ingredients
- 16 ounces gemelli pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage (ground, mild or spicy)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup onion (finely diced)
- 2 Tablespoons salted butter
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup fresh basil (chopped)
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Begin by cooking the Italian sausage onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly browned.
- Stir occasionally, and break up the sausage into small pieces as you cook. Cover the pan between stirring to fully cook the sausage.
- Then, add the butter and stir until melted. Once the butter is melted add the flour and stir to combine.
- Once the flour is incorporated, add the heavy cream, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly and turns a deeper red/orange color.
- Drain the pasta (do not rinse), add it to the pot, and stir until coated with sauce.
- Serve immediately with a sprinkle of fresh parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil.
Notes
- Pasta. I love the gemelli shaped pasta (I get it from Costco). But I’ve used every tubular pasta under the sun and they all work great – penne, rigatoni, ziti, etc.
- Italian sausage. We use ground, pork, mild sausage, but you can use spicy.
- Onion. use your favorite. I prefer a sweet yellow or white onion, but have used red with great results.
- Heavy cream. half and half or whole milk both work well, but heavy cream really is the best choice. My kids can tell when I use something other than heavy cream – and they still love it but like the cream the best.
- Crushed tomatoes. I have kids who don’t like tomato chunks, so I use crushed. You can used diced tomatoes too it tastes great.
- Fresh basil. You can use dried but fresh is by far the best.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
