Add this delicious and easy one pot pasta recipe to your weeknight menu (this week!) You’ll love how simple and flavorful this dish is with spicy sausage, garden-fresh zucchini, and perfectly al dente bucatini pasta! And with only one pot to wash, clean up is just as easy!
One-pot dinners are our favorite type of weeknight meal. Like our other one-pot meals, Mulligatawny Soup and Fettuccine Alfredo, cooking is as easy as cleaning up with everything being one in one dish.
While any one-pot pasta is a clear winner, we’ve combined savory spicy sausage with fresh zucchini, seasonings, plenty of parmesan cheese, and of course, pasta! We love using bucatini for this recipe since its thicker texture holds up well with the chunky sausage and half-moons of zucchini. For an extra special weeknight dinner, serve with a big loaf of garlic bread and a simple side salad.
How to Make Our One Pot Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
Process
- Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the oil and sauté the sausage until browned and crumbled, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add onions and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, garlic and thyme and continue to sauté for 2 minutes, then season with salt and pepper.
- Pour stock into the pot and bring to a boil. Add pasta and lower heat to medium.
- Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and the pasta is al dente, then season with salt and pepper.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan and toss together.
- Adjust seasonings and serve with more fresh grated parmesan and thyme.
Tips for the BEST One Pot Pasta
Follow these tips for the best sausage and zucchini one-pot pasta dinner!
- When browning your sausage, crumble it as it cooks with a wooden spoon. We recommend leaving the crumbles a little larger (like in the pictures) to make it easier to get on the fork while eating.
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pre-shredded parmesan can sometimes have anti-caking agents on it that prevent the cheese from melting into the smooth creamy sauce we’re after with this recipe.
- If you’re substituting the bucatini with another type of pasta (might we recommend another long noodle like fettuccine or spaghetti), be sure to follow the directions on the box for how long to boil the particular noodles you’re using to prevent over-cooking them.
Variations
To mix things up a bit or use what you have, try these easy variations:
- Use yellow summer squash instead of or in addition to the zucchini.
- Along with parmesan cheese, you can also use pecorino romano or mozzarella cheese.
- Swap the spicy Italian sausage with mild, or use chicken or turkey sausage instead.
- If you don’t have bucatini, use spaghetti or fettuccini noodles instead.
- Can swap the chicken stock with vegetable stock if needed.
Delicious Side Dishes to Serve with Our One Pot Pasta
While this dish can absolutely be a one-pot meal with the pasta, veggies, and meat in one dish, it also goes amazingly well with:
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
To store any leftovers, keep this pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat, you can either microwave the pasta in 30-second increments until heated through or reheat it on the stovetop over low-medium heat until warmed through. If the pasta seems a little dry, just add a splash of chicken broth, and be sure to top with more freshly grated parmesan before enjoying your leftovers!
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One Pot Pasta Recipe (with Sausage and Zucchini)
Add this delicious and easy one pot pasta recipe to your weeknight menu (this week!) You’ll love how simple and flavorful this dish is with spicy sausage, garden-fresh zucchini, and perfectly al dente bucatini pasta! And with only one pot to wash, clean up is just as easy!
Servings:
INSTRUCTIONS
Place a large pot over medium-high heat. Add oil and sauté sausage until browned and crumbled, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add oninos and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.
Add zucchini, garlic and thyme and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour stock into the pot and bring to a boil.
Add pasta and lower heat to medium.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and pasta is al dente. Season with salt and pepper.
Top pasta with parmesan and carefully toss until well combined. Adjust seasonings and serve with more fresh grated parmesan and thyme.
NOTES
-
- When browning your sausage, crumble it as it cooks with a wooden spoon. We recommend leaving the crumbles a little larger (like in the pictures) to make it easier to get on the fork while eating.
-
- Use freshly grated parmesan cheese. Pre-shredded parmesan can sometimes have anti-caking agents on it that prevent the cheese from melting into the smooth creamy sauce we’re after with this recipe.
-
- If you’re substituting the bucatini with another type of pasta (might we recommend another long noodle like fettuccine or spaghetti), be sure to follow the directions on the box for how long to boil the particular noodles you’re using to prevent over-cooking them.
Calories: 618kcal Carbohydrates: 55g Protein: 25g Fat: 33g Saturated Fat: 10g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Monounsaturated Fat: 17g Cholesterol: 51mg Sodium: 1544mg Potassium: 783mg Fiber: 4g Sugar: 8g Vitamin A: 419IU Vitamin C: 27mg Calcium: 222mg Iron: 3mg
CUISINE: Italian, Italian-american
KEYWORD: one pot pasta, one pot recipes, zucchini recipe
COURSE: dinner, Main Course