With just one bite of this super easy, creamy, one pot dinner, you'll be hooked and never look back. This one pot sausage broccoli pasta is the ultimate easy, cozy meal for dinner, entertaining, and fuss-free meal prep.
Juicy ground sausage, tender pasta, and fresh broccoli all come together in a creamy sauce that's hard to resist.
It's quick, packed with flavor, and perfect as a weeknight meal when you just want something delicious without any hassle. Pasta recipes just taste a whole lot better when done in no time.
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Recipe at a Glance:
- Cook Level: This dish is so incredibly easy to make you'll wonder why you haven't made it before! All you need is a large dutch oven or a large pot. I've made this recipe so many times in a variety of different ways, and always resort back to making it altogether in one pot because it's a lot easier, and less dirty dishes.
- Taste: The perfect balance of savory sausage, al dente pasta, and tender broccoli in every bite. Savory, creamy, and garlicky, can it GET any better than this?
- Cook Time: Because everything is cooked in stages in one pot, this pasta dish takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Pair With: Lots of my recipes pair really well with this pasta such as herby garlic bread, a fresh spring mix salad, or a caesar pasta salad (just leave out the pasta in the salad!)
Trusted Tips and Key Reminders
- Season the entire dish really well with salt and pepper as you cook. Since this is all done in one pot, you have ample opportunities to bring out the flavors of the broccoli and sausage by seasoning as you cook.
- This is such an easy pasta dish that you can swap virtually anything in the base recipe (as it's written) and make it your own. Don't eat ground pork? Use Italian chicken sausage or even turkey sausage. Not a broccoli fan? Use baby spinach, broccoli rabe, or asparagus. The possibilities are endless.
- Use all of the parts of the broccoli including the stalk. There is so much flavor in the broccoli stalk aside from just the broccoli florets. Plus, you're not wasting any of it. Even better!
- Want a little kick? Add red pepper flakes as you are browning the sausage to give the overall dish some heat, OR use spicy sausage instead of sweet Italian sausage.
The Main Ingredients
- Ground Pork Sausage: A classic choice for Italian pasta dishes is pork sausage. You can easily use either hot Italian sausage or sweet sausage, simply depends on your preference. I would suggest buying it pre-ground from the grocery store.
- Broccoli: I like to buy the entire head of broccoli and chop it myself instead of using the florets already cut. I find that it yields more broccoli this way AND the stalk adds more volume too.
- Oil: A little oil helps to make the entire pasta recipe creamy and flavorful. It's also necessary to help cook down the sausage and the broccoli, It's true that the sausage is oily, but you do need more oil to help cook down the other components of the dish.
- Pasta: In my years of recipe testing, I've used a variety of different pastas when making this dish (and other pasta recipes), and my most favorite pastas to use for this dish are farfalle (bowtie pasta), corkscrew pasta such as fusilli or cavatappi, or any short pasta with grooves. You can also use whole wheat or glute-free pasta too.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic gives this dish a lot of flavor and smells so fantastic when paired with the sausage in the pot. There's truly nothing better than the aromas of sautéed garlic.
- Chicken Broth or Chicken Stock: Chicken broth is the liquid of choice for cooking the pasta in this recipe. It also adds more flavor to the pasta noodles itself and adds protein to the overall recipe.
- Parmesan Cheese: I like to make this on the creamier side so I sprinkle in about a third of a cup of parmesan cheese towards the end when there isn't too much liquid left in the pot. Trust me, this is a game changer!
- Salt and Black Pepper: Both of these seasonings are essential to any dish, and go without saying when making a dish like this.
- Fresh Rosemary: In a lot of my recipes, I like garnishing with fresh herbs like thyme or in this case rosemary for an earthy flavor and a little extra greenery. It's entirely optional, though I do recommend it.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Step by Step Process Photos
Step 1: In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil on a medium high heat. Add in the ground sausage, then cook until completely browned, seasoning with salt and pepper.
To the ground sausage, add in the sliced garlic, sauté until fragrant.
Step 2: Pour in the broccoli, then toss to combine with the sausage, olive oil, and garlic.
Step 3: Add in the pasta, broth or stock, and cover.
Cook on a low flame for 18-20 minutes or until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed.
Step 4: Last, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese, then stir to combine. Add freshly chopped rosemary and serve.
Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- Swap out the pasta for your favorite gluten free pasta. Be sure to choose a pasta you trust that will not fall apart when cooked.
- Substitute the ground sausage for chicken sausage, chorizo, tofu, or ground turkey or chicken.
- You can use other herbs like oregano, fresh basil, thyme, or stick with rosemary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Could I make this without sausage?
You can easily omit the sausage and simply make it vegetarian with just the broccoli and the pasta cooked together in the pot. If you want to add in grilled, sautéed, or even chicken cutlets, you can do that too, but AFTER the pasta is cooked.
Is the oil necessary?
As I mentioned above, the oil is in fact necessary to not only cook the sausage, but to sauté the garlic and the broccoli. It also gives a savory, creamy flavor to the overall dish.
Do I have to use chicken broth or can I use water? Can I do a combination?
You can definitely use just water (stick to the three cups though!) or use a combo of both. The chicken broth/stock adds more flavor to the dish so that's why I like to use it, but if you don't want to use chicken broth, leave it out and use water or even vegetable stock.
How do I freeze this?
You can freeze this by adding the leftovers or the entire dish to a freezer-safe dish and place in the freezer for up to two months.
Thaw in the fridge the night before you want to eat it, and add to a pot with 2 tablespoons of water, bring to a medium heat, and heat it up until warm.
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One Pot Sausage Broccoli Pasta
Equipment
- large dutch oven
- Stock Pot optional
- tongs
- wooden spoon
- serving spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Pork Sausage
- 3 cloves Garlic finely sliced
- 2 cups Broccoli stalks and florets, chopped
- 3 cups Chicken Stock or Broth
- 1 lb Dry Pasta
- ⅓ cup Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil on a medium high heat. Add in the ground sausage, then cook until completely browned, seasoning with salt and pepper.
- To the ground sausage, add in the sliced garlic, sauté until fragrant.
- Pour in the broccoli, then toss to combine with the sausage, olive oil, and garlic.
- Add in the pasta, broth or stock, and cover.
- Cook on a low flame for 18-20 minutes or until the majority of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Last, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese, then stir to combine. Add freshly chopped rosemary and serve.
Liz says
I was skeptical about this because I don’t usually do a one pot type of meal but I just didn’t want to waste time. So I tried it, and I loved it! I cook for myself so I was really happy it made so many leftovers. Super super yummy!