New! Delicious Italian Sausage Pasta with Zucchini (with 4 spin-offs)

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My family descended upon this big pot of Sausage Pasta with Zucchini and it was gone in record time. Good grief. Must have been the sausage … or the creamy sauce … or the bouncy cavatappi noodles. All of it is delicious, and it’s very quick and easy to make. This sausage pasta with zucchini is not a one-pan recipe, but that’s because the zucchini is 1,000,000 times better when you roast it. So, it’s worth busting out your sheet pan for that – trust me.

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Sausage Pasta with Zucchini Frequently Asked Questions

What pasta can you substitute for cavatappi?

Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta with Zucchini

Cavatappi is my current favorite short cut of pasta (that bounce! that shape!), but there are several other cuts that will work just as well in its place if you can’t find it or have others hanging around that you’d like to use up. Penne, rigatoni, ziti, farfalle, rotini, and orecchiette are all readily available and would work wonderfully with this recipe. The idea with short-cut pastas is to be able to get everything on your fork (sauce + sausage + zucchini +pasta) in one bite. Any of these shapes will work for that.

What can you substitute for Italian sausage?

This recipe works well with either sweet or hot Italian sausage, though beware that the hot varieties can be pretty spicy sometimes. You can also use chorizo (that would be delicious) or, in a pinch, just a basic sage sausage (like the breakfast variety). I would just stick to the bulk sausages, as opposed to the links or cured types, as the crumbles that form when you brown/cook bulk sausage make the whole dish so delicious.

How do you reheat pasta?

To reheat this pasta (or just about any pasta), I like to add it back into a pot/pan along with just a little splash of water. Then, just bring it up to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat for a few minutes, until it’s heated through. Now, you can do this in the microwave if you like/have one (which also can keep you from having to wash a pan). But I like the more gradual, even warming that you get on the stovetop.

Can you freeze cooked pasta?

Yes! You can freeze cooked pasta. Just be sure to allow it to come all the way back down to room temperature, and then store it in an air-tight, freezer-safe container (labeled, if possible!) for up to two months. Pasta tends to freeze better if it hasn’t been sauced yet, as it maintains its textural integrity a bit better this way. But that said, you can do all of the above with saucy pasta as well. To thaw, just allow it to come to room temperature (I leave it in the sink) and then reheat on the stovetop.

How to make this Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta with Zucchini

This Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta with Zucchini comes together easily and pretty fast, too. Now, you can cook the noodles right in the same pan, before you build the sauce if you like. Just reserve the starchy water and transfer them to a colander to drain while you whip up the sauce (which is just onion, garlic, some seasonings, tomato paste, butter, and either sour cream or cream cheese – easy!).

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the top position.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente (according to the package directions). Reserve 1.5 cups of the starchy water before draining.
Put the cut zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, salt and pepper, and half of the Italian seasoning. Roast until golden brown and tender; about 12 to 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, add another couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a large, deep skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion, sausage, and remaining Italian seasoning the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and the sausage is cooked through.
Add the garlic, tomato paste, stock concentrate, and cream cheese (or sour cream). Stir and cook for a couple of minutes (so the garlic + tomato paste aren’t raw). Turn off the heat, and add the cooked pasta and the butter and any reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky sauce. Add the roasted zucchini and gently toss to combine everything. Serve with lots of parmesan cheese and enjoy.

What you’ll need to make this Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta with Zucchini

As is so often the case, the cream cheese (or sour cream) really do a lot of the heavy lifting in this sauce. They balance out the “tang” of the tomato paste and give the whole thing a really addictive flavor. The stock concentrate boost the depth of flavor and even though there’s garlic in Italian sausage, we should go ahead and add a few extra fresh cloves as well, right? Right.

INGREDIENTS

1 pound cavatappi pasta (or another short cut that you love)
2 zucchini, cut into ¼-inch rounds
Olive oil, as needed
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (or just dried oregano works)
1 small sweet onion, chopped
¾ to 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate
3 tablespoons cream cheese, crème fraiche, or sour cream
2 tablespoons butter
Grated or shredded parmesan cheese for topping

What to serve with this Creamy Sausage Pasta with Zucchini

This pasta is pretty much an all-in-one type of dish. You’ve got your starch, your veggies, and your proteins all happily hanging out together in one pan. But that said, it is nice to serve this with a small salad on the side I think. This simple salad with a Southern-style Buttermilk Dressing would be perfect. So would this easy Pepperoni Pizza Salad, actually (Italian theme and all). This roasted squash and radicchio salad has my heart, and it would get along really well with this lovely pasta, I think.

Pasta and bread go together swimmingly, so you might want to try this garlic butter “Bubble Up Bread” as a really fun side for this pasta.

Creamy Sausage Pasta with Zucchini Spin-offs

You can change up the shape of the pasta here to suit your preferences and your current pantry status. If, say, you’ve got loads of penne hanging out, you can absolutely use that instead of the cavatappi called for in the ingredients list.
Don’t love zucchini? Try roasted broccoli or cauliflower instead. Roasted mushrooms would also be great here.
You can play around with the sausage in this sausage pasta with zucchini as well. You can use either sweet Italian sausage or the spicy/hot variety. You can also use a Mexican style chorizo (this would be delicious).
Don’t care for sausage at all? Maybe you’re a vegetarian? This works well without the sausage, and sometimes I’ll prepare it that way, but with loads of chopped mixed mushrooms instead, for that meaty vibe.