Chicken Sausage and Zucchini Pasta
This simple dinner combines fresh zucchini, diced onions, chicken sausage, tomato basil marinara sauce, and your favorite pasta for an easy dinner that's ready in 30 minutes! It’s the perfect 5-ingredient recipe for busy weeknights or when you're craving a simple, cozy bowl of pasta!
Equipment
- Pot for boiling pasta
- Deep skillet or saucepan
Ingredients
- 8 oz pasta
- 1 small yellow onion (diced)
- 2 medium zucchini (cut into quarters/half moons or rounds)
- 24 oz marinara sauce homemade or store bought; tomato basil, creamy, or another variety
- 2 pre-cooked chicken sausage links (sliced)
Pantry staples
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Optional toppings
- Red pepper flakes, fresh basil, or grated parmesan
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then drain.
- Prep your veggies. Dice the onions, chop the zucchini into rounds or half-moons, and slice the chicken sausage links.
- Make the pasta sauce. While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a deep skillet or saucepan over medium heat. Add the diced onion for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft and slightly browned.
- In the same pan, stir in the zucchini and cook for 3–4 minutes until just tender. Add the sliced chicken sausage and cook another 3–4 minutes until browned and heated through.
- Pour in the marinara sauce, mix into the veggies + sausage, and let it simmer for 3–5 minutes.
- Toss pasta into the sauce. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to combine well with the veggies, sausage, and pasta sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until everything is coated and warmed through.
- Serve and enjoy! You can top it off with red pepper flakes, fresh basil, or even a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese if you want. If you prefer a creamier pasta, mix in 1-2 tablespoons of cream cheese, Greek yogurt, or whipped cottage cheese.
Notes
- Making this recipe vegetarian: You can use white beans or plant-based sausage instead. You can also throw in a little bit of greek yogurt or whipped cottage cheese to the tomato sauce to elevate the protein content!
- No zucchini? This recipe works well with so many other veggies like bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, kale, mushroom, eggplant, red onions, and summer squash
- Want it creamy without adding heavy cream? You can add a tiny bit of cream cheese, Greek yogurt, or whipped cottage cheese after step #6. The last two options will add a hit of protein to your dish too!
- This is a very flexible recipe. If you don't have all of these ingredients, don't worry!
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- You can use any shape of pasta you have in your pantry
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- You can use any jarred pasta sauce you have at home or whip up your own
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- You can add a bunch of different vegetables to this recipe. Use up whatever you have in your fridge!
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- Onions aren't required, so you can skip it if you want
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