Butter Parmesan Pasta With Italian Sausage
This Butter Parmesan Pasta With Italian Sausage is an ode to childhood when your mom would make you just plain noodles with butter and parmesan. I took this pure comfort food up a notch with my Homemade Organic Italian Sausage, mushrooms, onions and spinach for a simple meal that's still nostalgic.
If you love organic pasta as much as I do, be sure to check out some of my other favorites like Mushroom Zucchini Baked Pasta, Baked Butter Lemon Pasta Without Cheese, or Healthy Ranch Pasta Salad With Olive Oil.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Butter Parmesan Pasta With Italian Sausage
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Makes: 8 servings
- Main Ingredients: pasta, salted butter, Italian sausage, spinach
- Flavor Profile: savory, salty, cozy
- Dietary Info: eggless, no seed oils, gluten free swap available
- Difficulty: Easy!
- Why You’ll Love It: nostalgic butter pasta made grown up
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Healthy Comfort Food: This easy pasta is a healthy comfort food version of the classic butter noodles. It has the addition of sausage and veggies for a complete balanced meal you can feel good about eating regularly. This is on heavy rotation in our kitchen!
- Easy Pasta: Quick and easy, this dinner is ready in 30 minutes!
- Crowd Pleaser: This Butter Parmesan Pasta is a crowd pleasing recipe. Everyone will love this simple yet delicious dish.
- Meal Prep: This is a wonderful dish for meal prep or leftovers as it reheats so well!
Jump to:
Ingredients
- Penne Pasta: I use organic Penne noodles, but other varieties like Gemelli also work!
- Italian Sausage: You'll need organic ground pork to make Homemade Organic Italian Sausage for this recipe. You can also buy pre seasoned Italian sausage or spicy Italian sausage if you prefer, but there's no organic version on the market right now, which is why I make it!
- Mushrooms: I use organic Baby bella mushrooms, but you can use any variety.
- Spinach: I use spinach here, but kale is also a great substitute if you don't have spinach.
- Parmesan Cheese: I prefer to buy block parmesan and grate it myself as this allows me to avoid anti caking agents that can be in grated cheese.
*For a full list of ingredients and measurements, visit the recipe card below.
Tips & Substitutions
- If you're gluten free, use gluten free pasta. My favorite is Food to Live Organic Chickpea Pasta, it's so good!
- If you want to use unsalted butter, you can, but I always prefer salted.
- You can cook veggies in EVOO if you prefer.
- Make this vegan by skipping the sausage, cook veggies in EVOO (and maybe add in a few more like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini), using your favorite vegan butter, and nutritional yeast in place of parmesan.
- Use up veggies your fridge to reduce food waste. Other great options for this dish are bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, green beans, and more!
- Feel free to add in fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, fennel, rosemary or other add ins as this recipe is super flexible and adaptable!
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted. Noodles may take a few more minutes to cook at high altitude because water boils at a lower temperature. So, be sure noodles are done to your liking as they may be more al dente if you just go off the time frame given! Don't be afraid to cook a bit longer depending on how you like your noodles.
How to Make Butter Parmesan Pasta with Italian Sausage
- Cook the noodles in a large pot per the instructions on the package, drain the pasta water, and set the cooked pasta aside.
- In a large skillet, add the butter and onions. Then add the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent and the mushrooms are lightly browned.
- In a large skillet, add the sausage and cook over medium heat with a wooden spoon until it starts to cook through and lightly brown. Turn heat up to medium/high and brown and continue to cook until done, this will only take about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In large serving dish, add the noodles, sausage, onions and mushrooms and toss completely.
- To serve: Place a bed of spinach in each bowl, add hot pasta on top, 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, and stir.
- The hot pasta will cook the spinach as you stir and combine the butter. Grate fresh parmesan on top and salt and pepper to taste.
What to Serve With Butter Parmesan Pasta With Italian Sausage
- Add Organic French Baguettes with Instant Yeast for a crusty side of bread.
- Serve with buttery and flaky Sourdough Crescent Rolls.
- Try Simple Green Salad With Homemade Dressing for a simple side salad.
- Serve this alongside pizzas made with Pan Pizza Dough Recipe With Instant Yeast for a party!
- Don't forget dessert, try a Big Chocolate Cookie that's quick to make and perfect for sharing!
Recipe FAQ's
Yes, feel free to use other similar varieties of noodles.
Anything similar to a Penne shape works well. Gemelli, bow ties, Fusilli, or macaroni shapes are going to be similar. But, classic spaghetti will also work in a pinch!
Yes, just use your favorite gluten free pasta. I really like the Food to Live Organic Chickpea Pasta! This is my favorite gluten free pasta.
Add more butter! Butter is the “sauce” along with parmesan here. But, if you want to add a red sauce or white sauce for something even more creamy, you can also do that. This recipe is super flexible.
Depending on the kind of parmesan you use, it can clump if the pasta is not coated in butter or not hot. This is why I add the butter onto the pasta first, then parmesan.
I prefer using a block of parmesan as you can easily grate it. Grating it with a smaller grater will help it mix in well. Plus, choosing a block of parmesan means there are no stabilizers in it, as pre-grated parmesan can have those or anti-caking agents to prevent it from clumping. So, I always think it's best to grate your own cheese to avoid these unnecessary ingredients.
Yes, this is a great dish to make in advance as it reheats well.
Make sure to add your butter into your pasta when heating so it also melts. This will help prevent it from drying out. Then grate your parmesan right on top of the hot pasta.
More Italian Inspired Recipes
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Butter Parmesan Pasta With Italian Sausage
Equipment
- 5-Quart Pot
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Large Skillet
Ingredients
Pasta
- 2 pounds Penne noodles
- 1 pound Italian Sausage
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large yellow onion (sliced)
- 8 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
For Serving
- spinach
- salted butter
- fresh parmesan
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the noodles in a large pot per the instructions on the package, drain the pasta water, and set the cooked pasta aside.
- In a large skillet, add the butter and onions. Then add the mushrooms. Cook over medium heat until onions are translucent and the mushrooms are lightly browned.
- In a large skillet, add the sausage and cook over medium heat with a wooden spoon until it starts to cook through and lightly brown. Turn heat up to medium/high and brown and continue to cook until done, this will only take about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In large serving dish, add the noodles, sausage, onions and mushrooms and toss completely.
- To serve: Place a bed of spinach in each bowl, add hot pasta on top, 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter, and stir. The hot pasta will cook the spinach as you stir and combine the butter.
- Grate fresh parmesan on top and salt and pepper to taste.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Notes
- IIf you're gluten free, use gluten free pasta. My favorite is Food to Live Organic Chickpea Pasta, it's so good!
- If you want to use unsalted butter, you can, but I always prefer salted.
- You can cook veggies in EVOO if you prefer.
- Make this vegan by skipping the sausage, cook veggies in EVOO (and maybe add in a few more like broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini), using your favorite vegan butter, and nutritional yeast in place of parmesan.
- Use up veggies your fridge to reduce food waste. Other great options for this dish are bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, broccoli, green beans, and more!
- Feel free to add in fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, fennel, rosemary or other add ins as this recipe is super flexible and adaptable!
- High Altitude — Follow the recipe as noted. Noodles may take a few more minutes to cook at high altitude because water boils at a lower temperature. So, be sure noodles are done to your liking as they may be more al dente if you just go off the time frame given! Don't be afraid to cook a bit longer depending on how you like your noodles.
Nutrition
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So comforting and cozy, I love this easy dinner!