This One Pot Penne Pasta recipe is made with sausage, red peppers, and spinach and ready in 15 minutes, making this pasta recipe a weeknight favorite recipe!

Large pot of penne style pasta with red peppers flakes, slices of sausage, stringy melted cheese, and spinach all dipped with wooden spoon.

It’s a busy weeknight and if I haven’t planned ahead, I start to think about what’s for supper. It’s a question I know we all ask ourselves all the time!

These are times I am happy to remember this One Pot Penne Pasta. I am always thankful that it’s such a quick and easy recipe. And my family absolutely loves it!

This is one of those pasta recipes that you throw everything into the pot and everything cooks together like magic. It also means there is only one pot to wash, one pot to dry, and one pot to put away. I love recipes like that! 

One Pot Penne Pasta Recipe

The flavor combination is out of this world delicious and one that I think you’ll enjoy, too!

How to Make One Pot Penne Pasta

You can customize the ingredients to your preference, but I use these ingredients in this recipe.

Ingredients

  • Smoked Sausage – Since it is already cooked and smoked, it adds so much flavor to this pasta recipe in a short amount of time. I like to slice the smoked sausage into bite-sized pieces to help it heat through even more quickly, but also for ease when served.
  • Onion – Diced onion is delicious in this dish, but can easily be omitted if you do not enjoy onions.
  • Garlic – Fresh garlic is minced and included in this pasta recipe. If you do not enjoy garlic, you can omit.
  • Mushrooms – You can use either white or portobello sliced fresh mushrooms in this recipe or you can even use sliced mushrooms in the jar that have been drained.
  • Penne Pasta – Penne works well in this recipe, but you could use another tube shaped, sturdy type of pasta if you don’t have penne on hand, such as ziti or rigatoni.
  • Roasted Red Peppers – Use jarred roasted red peppers in this recipe and include the liquid from the jar for all of that delicious flavor in the finished pasta dish!
  • Cheeses – Use both Monterey Jack cheese and Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh Spinach – Fresh baby spinach is perfect in this recipe. Since you add the cheeses and the spinach while the pasta is hot, the spinach will become tender and will wilt into the dish.

Not only is this dish full of incredible flavor, it makes a delicious, quick and easy pasta recipe!

Step by Step Instructions

  • To make this one pot pasta, add the sausage, onions, garlic, and mushrooms to the pot first.
  • Once your onions become tender, toss in the penne pasta, add the chicken stock and the jar of roasted red peppers with the liquid from the jar, and cover the pot for about 5 to 8 minutes. This allows the penne pasta to cook quickly and become tender.
  • Remove the lid, stir and continue to cook until penne pasta is al dente or reaches the amount of tenderness you prefer.
  • Finally, stir in the fresh spinach and cheeses until well combined, and the spinach is tender.
  • Then serve and enjoy!

Believe me, this has become one of my favorite staple recipes! It is so easy and delicious and a dish my family loves!

More Favorite Pasta Recipes

Alfredo Recipe

BLT Pasta Salad

Pasta Fagioli

Skillet Lasagna

Pot with penne pasta, slices of sausage, spinach, and melted strings of cheese.

Here’s my simple One Pot Penne Pasta recipe. It’s a keeper!

One Pot Penne Pasta Recipe

4.94 from 32 votes
This One Pot Penne Pasta recipe is made with sausage, red peppers, and spinach and ready in 15 minutes, making this pasta recipe a weeknight favorite recipe!
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into bite sized slices
  • 1/2 medium onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup sliced mushrooms
  • 3 cups penne pasta, uncooked
  • 2 cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1 (10-ounce) jar roasted red peppers, undrained
  • 2 cups monterey jack cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 2 cups spinach

Instructions 

  • Add sausage, onions, garlic, and mushrooms to a medium pot over medium heat. Cook until onions are slightly tender, stirring often. Add in penne pasta, chicken stock, roasted red peppers, along with the liquid from the jar. Stir to combine and cover for about 5-8 minutes. Remove lid, stir and continue to cook until penne pasta is al dente or at the amount of tenderness you prefer. 
  • Stir in the cheeses and fresh spinach until well combined and the spinach is tender.  Serve. 

Nutrition

Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 822mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 265IU | Vitamin C: 0.8mg | Calcium: 302mg | Iron: 1.5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Originally published 2014.

Welcome to Add A Pinch

About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Recipe Review




86 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Delicious but we added and changed a few things. We doubled the sausage, used a10 oz bag of spinach, 1 tbs Italian seasoning. We used Italian chicken andouille sausage.

  2. 5 stars
    SERIOUSLY THE BEST
    Its so easy and its so delicious!!!
    I used spicy smoked sausage and sometimes ground Italian sausage (recommended to me). I also pack in the veggies!
    I wish I could give this 10 stars!

  3. I love this recipe! So does my husband and step-son. Love the heat – it’s just perfect. We make this every few weeks and I often get requests from them to make it. It’s so easy on weeknight, thank you!!!

    Tonight while I was cooking this I thought to myself maybe a few ingredient swaps and we could try a one pot ham and cheese penne (Mac and cheese)… We may have to experiment with that 🙂

    1. Thanks, Meg. I’m glad everyone loves this recipe, Meg. I haven’t thought abut a ham and cheese penne dish but this sounds good. Let me know if you make it.

  4. 5 stars
    I’ve made this in the trailer out camping… easy one pot meal. I’m wondering about using sun-dried tomatoes rather than the red peppers? Or maybe a combination of both. Family loves it.

    1. Jan,
      I have not made it with sun-dried tomatoes but sounds great. So glad your family loves it.

  5. 5 stars
    I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! I did cook the pasta separately. (As I read some of the reviews) And I cooked it a little more than the 8 minutes to get rid of most of the water.

    This dish is definitely a keeper for me. It was quick and very flavorful. I will be making this again.

    Thank you so much!

  6. I’m seeing all of these fantastic reviews, but honestly , I cannot agree. I attempted this recipe, and to begin, you can’t cook penne with any amount of liquid in 5-8 minutes. It takes at least ten. So with as little liquid as you suggested, it took much more than ten minutes, and I had to add more liquid to completely cook the pasta. Aside from this flaw, the flavors are fantastic, and I enjoyed eating it.

  7. 5 stars
    The first time I made this it turned out perfect, penne aldente, cheese melted into the liquid making the sauce thicken as it cooled. The flavor was and is awesome! I have since then made it but the cheese ends up a congealed mess at the bottom of the pan in clumps and the broth is thin. What am I doing wrong? The flavor is still good, but the clumps of cheese cling to the sides of pan, spoon etc! Makes it less appealing for sure….help I don’t think I’m doing it differently ( except not using any spinach)

    1. Hi Pat,
      I’m glad you enjoy this! Since you said it was a success the first time you made it, could it be that you may be using different brand(s) of ingredients than first time? I’m especially wondering if you could be using a different type/brand of cheese…I hope this helps and can figure out what’s causing it to turn out differently. Thanks! xo