This Italian sausage whole wheat pasta and spinach recipe has 4 key ingredients: penne, sausage, spinach and broccoli – and you would never know that spinach and broccoli are in this recipe. It’s that good.
You know, quick and easy meals are what I love more than anything. But what do I love even more than that? Ones that are one pot meals. Technically this is a 2 pot meal – only because of the pasta.
But now you can make this in only 2 pots! That means less dishes to clean after dinner is cooked. It’s the little things sometimes that have the biggest impact on your day.
Everything besides the pasta can be cooked in one pot which just makes life easier.
We have a toddler running around these days, so it’s so nice to only have to watch 1 or 2 pots while I’m cooking and he’s running around.
It also helps so much to know that you don’t have to use a ton of dishes to cook this meal. It can be done quickly and easily, which is the best thing.
If you need a good pot for a recipe like this, this one is great. I like this one because it’s a large size, it’s stainless steel and cooks the food so evenly.
I also love one pot meals because they are usually simple. And this one is one of those amazingly easy, delicious one pot meals.
If you are interested in additional pasta recipes, you should check out the spicy Romano chicken pasta or the chicken fresca casserole.
What’s your favorite Italian Sausage pasta recipe?
Whole Wheat Penne with Sausage and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 package Italian sausages mild or hot, sliced thin
- olive oil
- 6 cloves large garlic minced
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 lb whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 bunch broccoli florets chopped
- 1 bunch spinach chopped
Instructions
Cook the Penne:
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the penne noodles according to the package directions. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, remove from heat and drain. Set aside.
Cook the Sausage:
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Once it’s hot, add the garlic and sausages. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sausages are cooked.
- Add the canned tomatoes, red wine, and tomato paste. Stir to combine. Add the broccoli and spinach and keep cooking until the broccoli is tender and the spinach has wilted. Add in the pasta you set aside earlier, and stir to combine.
Hi Laura – no, I used regular Italian sausage. So if you use Turkey Italian sausage, I bet the points would be lower. There is spinach in this recipe, but you could definitely use carrots before. Are there any other veggies that he will eat? Maybe mushrooms too?
Your recipe doesn’t state, are your using Turkey Italian sausage? Checking for your WW points base. Also trying to think with the flavor what veggie could be subbed for the broccoli, think carrots? Hubs doesn’t do broccoli or cauliflower, generally if i have them in a recipe i add them separately in my dish.
I actually love whole wheat pasta. I can’t taste much of a difference between it and regular pasta, but I understand that others aren’t like me. I think a veggie pasta would be interesting with this dish too!
I loved this dish. Like, it was fantastic and I will be making it again soon. It’s perfect and just what I wanted (the beach was just what I needed).
Thank you so much Macy! I hope you try it and let me know your thoughts. I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it.
I’m iffy about whole-wheat pasta, I really don’t like the texture of it. I’ll go for a veggie past before whole-wheat. However, this does look really good!
Have fun at the beach. I cannot start to tell you how jealous I am of you!
My Italian soul is LOVING this….YUM! I will have to try this one. Enjoy your time away at the beach!
This looks and sounds incredible! I can’t wait to make it. have so much fun at the beach!