Sausage tomato pasta combines savoury Italian sausage, juicy tomatoes, and fresh spinach in a hearty, flavourful dish. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, this pasta with pork sausage, spinach, and tomato is both satisfying and easy to make.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Versatile. Change the sausage type to suit your taste, whether it's spicy, sweet, or vegetarian.
Simple ingredients. This sausage tomato pasta with spinach uses everyday ingredients that are easy to find in your pantry or local store.
Packed with veggies. The addition of spinach and tomatoes boosts the nutritional value of this Italian pork sausage pasta.
Quick and easy. Perfect for busy weeknights, this sausage tomato pasta comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
Pasta. Use your favourite pasta shape for this sausage tomato pasta; penne or spaghetti work well.
Thick pork sausages. You can substitute with chicken, turkey, or vegetarian sausages for a different flavour in your Italian sausage and spinach pasta.
Passata. A smooth tomato base that can be swapped with crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce.
Tomato paste. Enhances the tomato flavour in the sausage pasta with vegetables; ketchup can be a quick alternative.
Vegetables. I used onion, zucchini, capsicum and spinach. You can sub each of these in-and-out or try alternatives like carrots.
Flavour. I've used fresh basil leaves and dried rosemary to compliment the Italian style of the dish. Feel free to sub with Italian herbs as an easy alternative in this sausage and spinach pasta.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
How to make sausage pasta
- Preparation
- Preheat oven to 180C and prepare a baking tray with lining.
- Heat a large pot of water on the stove.
- Dice onion, zucchini and capsicum. - Cook sausages and pasta
- Add sausages to the prepared baking tray and bake for 20 minutes @180C or until cooked through and lightly brown. Once cooked and slightly cooled you can cut into bite sized pieces.
- While the sausages are cooking, add pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook according to packet instructions (minus 1-2 minutes as they will continue cooking in the sausage tomato sauce). Retain ¼ cup of the pasta water, then drain and rinse with cold water. - Cook vegetables
- Heat the olive oil over a large and deep pan on medium heat. Add onion, zucchini and capsicum and cook until softened (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add passata and tomato paste. Cook until lightly bubbling then lower the heat to low. - Finalise dish
- Add basil leaves, spinach and rosemary. Stir to combine.
- Add pasta, ¼ cup pasta water and sausages. Stir everything together until well combined and heated through. --- Serve immediately or see below for meal prep and leftovers.
Top Tip
Undercook the pasta slightly by 1-2 minutes as it will continue to cook when mixed with the sauce. This ensures it doesn't become too soft or mushy.
Substitutions and variations
Sausages. You can easily swap pork sausages for chicken, turkey, or even vegetarian sausages to suit your dietary preferences while still enjoying the delicious flavours of sausage tomato pasta.
Vegetables. Feel free to change up the vegetables based on what you have on hand; bell peppers, mushrooms, or eggplant can all be great additions to this Italian sausage and spinach pasta.
Tomato paste. If you don't have tomato paste, you can use double the amount of passata or crushed tomatoes to achieve a similar rich tomato flavour in your pasta with sausage, spinach, and tomato.
Passata. If you can't find passata, you can substitute with canned crushed tomatoes or a high-quality marinara sauce to maintain the robust tomato base in your sausage pasta with vegetables.
Meal prep and leftovers
Meal prepping sausage tomato pasta is a fantastic way to save time and ensure you have a delicious, nutritious meal ready to go throughout the week. Cook a large batch and portion it into individual containers for easy lunches or dinners.
Storing
If you can store the sauce and pasta separately, you'll end up with a better texture when reheating as the pasta won't have gone mushy in the sauce.
Allow to cool completely and add to individual, airtight containers. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheating
Reheat individual portions of the Italian sausage tomato pasta in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until heated through, stirring halfway to ensure even heating; you can also reheat on the stove over medium heat with a splash of water to prevent sticking.
Freezing
Freeze portions of sausage tomato pasta in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months; thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating to maintain the best texture and flavour.
For added convenience, freeze pasta and sauce separately to prevent the pasta from becoming mushy.
If you want more meal prep information, check out my Meal Prep for Beginners post and my Meal Prep Basics E-Book.
FAQs
Tomato paste is more concentrated, so if you use it, mix it with some water to achieve a similar consistency to passata.
Yes, you can use any type of sausage you prefer, such as Italian sausage, chicken sausage, or even vegetarian sausages for a plant-based option.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do - Love & Pasta, Lauren x
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Recipe
Sausage tomato pasta with spinach
Ingredients
- 500 g pasta (of choice)
- 1 kg (approx. 9 thick) pork sausages (or other sausage)
- 10 ml (2 tsp) extra virgin olive oil
- 500 ml (2 cups) passata
- 50 g (2 heaped tbsp) tomato paste
- 1 onion diced
- 1 zucchini diced
- 1 capsicum diced
- 100 g (2 cups packed) spinach
- 40 g (2 tbsp) dried rosemary
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Prepare to cook
- Preheat oven to 180C and prepare a baking tray with lining.
- Heat a large pot of water on the stove.
Slice vegetables.
- Cook sausages and pasta
- Add sausages to the prepared baking tray and bake for 20 minutes @180C or until cooked through and lightly brown. Once cooked, cut into bite sized pieces.
- While the sausages are cooking, add pasta to a pot of boiling water and cook according to packet instructions (minus 1-2 minutes). Retain ¼ cup of the pasta water, then drain and rinse with cold water.
Cook vegetables
- Heat the olive oil over a large and deep pan on medium heat. Add onion, zucchini and capsicum and cook until softened (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add passata and tomato paste. Cook until lightly bubbling then lower the heat to low.
Finalise dish
- Add basil leaves, spinach and rosemary. Stir to combine.
- Add pasta, ¼ cup pasta water and sausages. Stir to combine and serve.
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