This sausage tomato and spinach pasta is rich, hearty, and packed with flavour. Juicy pork sausage, garlic, and onions simmer in a tomato basil sauce, with fresh spinach stirred in at the end for a touch of freshness. It takes less than 20 minutes to pull together so it's a perfect weeknight meal or meal prep recipe with minimal effort!
I don't even care that I've updated this recipe 4 times and made it about 40 times and the google Gods still don't appreciate it. This is one of my go-to recipes that I'll make when I just don't know what to make because it has minimal ingredients, takes almost no effort and always tastes great.
I recently heard someone refer to this as a "sausage surprise" and I quite like that because there are times where I'll just pop in random vegetables at the bottom of the crisper just to get rid of them and bulk this dish out. It also means it's slightly different each time, but I've popped the best one here for you guys!
TL;DR
- Servings: 6-8
- Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes
- Meal prep: Balanced with a source of carbs from the pasta, veggies (which you can mix-and-match) and protein from the sausages.
- Fridge storage: 4-5 days (recommend glass containers to prevent staining)
- Freezer storage: store pasta and sausage mixture separately for 3-6 months
- Reheating: Add a drizzle of water over the sauce and reheat in microwave for 2-3 minutes
- Customise: Add extra veg, change up sausage flavour, serve over rice or gnocchi for a different carb base.
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Why you'll love this recipe
Simple Ingredients. With sausages, passata and pasta as the base, this recipe is packed with pantry staples for an easy weeknight.
Tomato. The base of the sauce is Italian-inspired with passata, oregano and basil. Very similar to my sausage tomato stew and sausage tomato gnocchi.
Sausages. They're affordable, accessible and versatile with lots of choices. Try other sausage recipes like the my mushroom spinach sausage pasta
<30 Minutes. A quick, satisfying meal that's perfect for busy weeknights-similar to other 30 minute recipes like curried sausages and rice.
Ingredients
Pasta. Use your favourite pasta shape. I tend to just use whatever is in my pantry. If you're looking to meal prep or freeze it, heartier shapes of pasta work better (e.g. rigatoni, fusilli or fettuccini).
Sausages. I usually use beef for Zak and chicken for me. But you can use any type of sausage shape you like. The better quality the sausage, the better the dish is going to taste as it has minimal ingredients.
Passata. This is relatively plain on its own (well tomatoey in flavour), which is why I recommend adding in oregano and basil. But you could also find passata that already has a bit of flavouring in it.
Please check the recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantity. See below for substitutions and variations.
Substitutions and variations
Sausages. You can easily swap pork sausages for chicken, turkey, or even vegetarian sausages to suit your dietary preferences.
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.
Passata. If you can't find passata, you can substitute with canned crushed tomatoes or a high-quality marinara sauce. I do recommend adding in a little bit of tomato paste in as well with this because they can sometimes be a little watery
How to make sausage pasta
Step 1: Heat a large pan over medium heat and add the sausages whole. Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally, until they are browned on all sides. Remove the sausages from the pan and set them aside to rest.
Browning the sausages helps seal in the juices and allows the flavour and texture to be enhanced. It's also easier to cut the sausages when they're cooked.
Step 2: While the sausages are cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, reducing the time by 2 minutes to allow for further cooking in the sauce.* Before draining, reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water, then rinse the pasta under cold water to stop it from overcooking.
*if meal prepping for later, reduce the time by 4 minutes. if freezing, only cook for half the time.
Step 3: In the same pan used for the sausages, add olive oil and heat over medium. Add onion and zucchini and saute until slightly softened (approx. 4 minutes).
At the same time, slice the sausages.
Step 4: Add the passata, oregano and basil and pasta water to the pan and mix well. Allow it to come to a bubble then reduce the heat.
Step 5: Add the sausages back into the pan
Step 6: Add the spinach to the pan, mix well and allow it to wilt (approx. 2 minutes)
Step 6: Add the cooked pasta* and reserved pasta water, stirring everything together until well combined and heated through.
If meal prepping for later, store the cooked pasta separate to the sauce to retain as much texture as possible.
Lauren's Top Tips
Brown the Sausages Properly: Let the sausages develop a deep golden crust before slicing them-this locks in moisture and adds extra flavour to the sauce.
Build Layers of Flavour: Use the same pan to cook the sausages and veggies so you don't lose the caramelized bits at the bottom-those add incredible depth to the sauce.
Meal prepping tomato sausage pasta
This sausage tomato pasta is great for meal prep since the flavours deepen over time. I made two different options for a Weekly Meal Plan - one with beef, the other with chicken. To keep it tasting fresh, store it in individual portions for easy reheating. If making a big batch, consider doubling the sauce and freezing half for a future meal. You can then pair this with any leftover protein like Chicken or Pork.
How do you store leftovers?
For the best texture, store the pasta and sauce separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days. This prevents the pasta from soaking up too much sauce and becoming mushy.
However, if you prefer to store them together, I recommend undercooking the pasta by 4 minutes so it stays firm when reheated.
Regardless of how you're storing, I do recommend that you use a glass meal prep container because storing and then reheating in plastic will cause it to discolour and turn red.
Reheating
Stovetop (Best Method). Add the pasta and sauce to a pan with a splash of water or broth. Heat over medium-low, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
Microwave: Place in a microwave-safe dish, add a small amount of water, and cover loosely. Heat in 1 minutes intervals, stirring between each, until heated through. This will take about 3 minutes
Oven (For Large Batches): Transfer to an oven-safe dish, cover with foil, and bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 15 minutes or until heated evenly.
Alternatively, you can always have this as a cold meal prep option - I mean, have you ever tasted cold leftover sausages? They're amazing!
How to freeze the pasta and sauce?
I recommend freezing separately where possible. This helps keep the pasta in tact as much as possible. As you can see above, I've done this in my 1 cup souper cubes for each - I find this a really great portion. When reheating, you want to give the sauce a little bit extra time as there's not as much air in it. I tend to do a defrost cycle for the sauce, and then add the pasta in with a bit of water in the 2 minutes-ish to reheat.
If you want to freeze sausage tomato pasta with spinach together, it's important to undercook the pasta by half before freezing. This helps prevent it from becoming mushy when reheated. I recommend the half cooking pasta method a lot in my social media videos and people say it's been a gamechanger for them!
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.
To thicken the sauce, let it simmer longer to reduce, or add a small amount of tomato paste. You can also add a sprinkle of grated parmesan or a splash of heavy cream for a creamier texture.
Easy beef recipes you'll love
Or, you can have a browse through my beef meal preps for more delicious eats.
I hope you enjoy this as much as I do - Love & Pasta, Lauren x
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Recipe
Tomato Sausage and Spinach Pasta
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Equipment
- Vegetable chopper., recommended
Ingredients
- 400 g (14 oz) (~4 cups) pasta, of choice
- ¼ cup pasta water
- 900 g (2 lb) sausages, of choice, approx. 8 thick
- 1 teaspoon (2 teaspoon) extra virgin olive oil
- 700 ml (3 cups) passata, subs note 1
- 2 onion,
- 2 zucchini,
- 2 cups spinach, packed
- 3 basil leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried, subs note 2
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano, subs note 2
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Prepare
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (at least 2.5L)
- Dice 2 onion, 2 zucchini and 3 basil leaves
- Heat a large pan over medium heat with half of the 1 tsp (2 teaspoon) extra virgin olive oil.
Cook
- Cook the 900 g (2 lb) sausages whole for 8-10 minutes, turning occasionally until browned on all sides. Remove.
- While sausages cook, add 400 g (14 oz) (~4 cups) pasta to boiling water and cook 2 mins less than packet instructions (4 mins less for meal prep or half the time if freezing). Before draining, reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then rinse the pasta under cold water.
- In the same pan as the sausages, heat rest of 1 tsp (2 teaspoon) extra virgin olive oil over medium. Add the diced onion and zucchini, sauteing for approx. 2 minutes.
- Add 700 ml (3 cups) passata, 2 tbsp dried oregano, diced basil bringing it to a light bubble before reducing the heat to low.
- Slice the 900 g (2 lb) sausages into bite-sized pieces and return them to the pan.
- Add the cooked 400 g (14 oz) (~4 cups) pasta (if meal prepping, don't add and see note 2) and reserved pasta water, and 2 cups spinach stirring everything together until well combined and heated through.
- Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and any other seasoning. Serve.
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