Cooking Chicken Sausage In The Oven

Pasta Skillet with Chicken Sausage, Cheese & Spinach

Try this one-skillet pasta dinner with chicken sausage, cheese, and spinach! Takes only 30 minutes to make.

Lisa Lin

Do you ever have those days when you feel very lazy about cooking dinner? I've been there!

Before you pick up the phone to order takeout, let me show you one of my favorite quick and satisfying meals. It's a skillet pasta dinner and it only takes about 30 minutes to pull together.

Lisa Lin

This pasta with chicken sausage dish is my go-to dinner when I need an easy dinner. All I need is a bit of oil and 5 basic ingredients: chicken sausage, pasta, marinara sauce, spinach and cheese. That's it. Depending on the amount of time I have to prepare dinner, I may throw in some diced peppers and zucchini to make it more filling.

I've included a quick marinara sauce in my recipe below, but if I'm in a rush, store-bought sauce is fine. You can also make the marinara sauce ahead and keep it frozen for quick, entirely from-scratch weeknight meals.

Lisa Lin

It's very easy to customize the recipe to whatever ingredients you have on hand and how quickly you need dinner on the table.

Try this pasta dish the next time you want a fast home-cooked meal. I promise, it'll be quicker than ordering takeout!

Watch This Pasta Skillet With Chicken Recipe

For the marinara sauce (or substitute 2 1/2 to 3 cups store-bought sauce):

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups (180 g) diced red onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz (795 g) can of crushed tomatoes
1 tablespoon honey or sugar
1/4 cup (5 g) chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup (5 g) chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano

For the pasta:

8 ounces (225 g) penne pasta
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound (450 g) chicken sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 to 6 cups (100 g to 150 g) baby spinach
1 1/2 cups (140 g) shredded mozzarella cheese
Chopped parsley, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 350F
Make the marinara sauce (or substitute store-bought sauce):

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and cook until the sauce starts bubbling at a rapid simmer, 1 to 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and let the sauce continue slowly simmering for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in honey, parsley, basil and oregano and cook for another minute. Season sauce with salt to your taste. Turn off heat. (Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups; keeps 4 to 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.)
Cook the pasta:

Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a pot. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Once the water boils, add pasta and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, depending on how you like your pasta. Drain and run pasta under cold water. Set aside.
Make the sausage and spinach sauce:

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped sausage and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. Add pasta sauce and heat for a minute. Add spinach and fold it into the sauce. The spinach should start wilting in 30 seconds.

Lisa Lin

Lisa Lin

Lisa Lin
Bake the pasta:

Add pasta to the pan and stir until combined. Top with mozzarella cheese. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned at the edges. For a quicker alternative, skip the oven and just stir the cheese into the pasta until the cheese is melted.

Lisa Lin
Top the pasta with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste:

Serve hot.

Lisa Lin

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
412	Calories
20g	Fat
31g	Carbs
29g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	412
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 20g	26%
Saturated Fat 5g	27%
Cholesterol 84mg	28%
Sodium 927mg	40%
Total Carbohydrate 31g	11%
Dietary Fiber 4g	16%
Total Sugars 11g
Protein 29g
Vitamin C 24mg	119%
Calcium 272mg	21%
Iron 4mg	24%
Potassium 868mg	18%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

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