Creamy Sausage and Pea Pasta has been a family favorite recipe for as many years as I can remember. My kids loved it with farfalle when they were young, but these days I try to fancy it up with fun pasta shapes. First you caramelize several onions until they are golden brown and luscious after which point, the recipe comes together quickly with only a few more ingredients. This pasta dish is so creamy and flavorful perfect for a cozy dinner and elegant enough to serve at a party. All that’s missing is a side salad and some crusty bread.
This recipe is the perfect combination of sweet and savory with the caramelized onions and sweet peas married with the Italian sausage and salty parmesan cheese. Finish with a laddle-full of pasta water and some heavy cream. I think even people who don’t love onions might be converts after trying this pasta. The whole family will love this easy dinner.
Pasta recipes are my favorite because of how quickly you can throw together something really incredible or super simple. Either way, it’s usually a delicious and filling weeknight dinner option. This recipe has been on repeat for so many years but I never get sick of making it…and especially eating it. Use your favorite pasta shape or try different pasta shapes when making this. The only requirement is 1 lb of pasta. I have been meaning to try it with gnocchi or tortellini, but when something is a total hit…it’s hard to want to change it.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Make sure you give yourself time for this recipe because the onions need to caramelize for about an hour or so.
- Pasta – 1 lb of pasta, any shape.
- Butter – unsalted. The majority of recipes on Farmgirl Gourmet start with unsalted butter. It’s easier to add salt to a recipe, but not so much to take it away.
- Onions – use sweet onions and cut them into a rough chop
- Italian Sausage – use a mild or sweet Italian sausage, unless you’re wanting some kick. I have successfully made this recipe in the past with a hot sausage with great results. You can also add red pepper flakes to add a little kick as well. Chicken sausage would be equally delicious.
- Peas – fresh or frozen sweet green peas.
- Cream – heavy cream or half & half
- Parmesan Cheese – freshly grated is always best, but I don’t judge if you buy the pre shredded cheese
Find the printable recipe card with exact measurements and instructions below.
Steps to make this sausage pasta recipe
Step 1: melt butter in a large rimmed saute pan.
Because you’ll be cooking down a lot of onions, using a large skillet, large sauté pan, or dutch oven is best to keep the onions in the pan while you’re stirring. You’ll be stirring a lot. Heat he saute pan over medium heat and melt the butter. Sauté onions over low heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until brown and caramelized. Do not burn.
Step 2: brown the Italian sausage
You can use bulk ground sausage or links. If using links, remove the casings before you brown the sausage. Add to the onions mixture on low heat to keep warm while the pasta cooks.
Step 3: boil the pasta
Salt your water. One of the things I learned early on it my cooking adventures is to salt the pasta water so it’s “like the ocean”. If you’ve been to the ocean just imagine what it tastes like and try to get your water to that level of salty. Other options if you’re just not sure is to use a salt tablet that’s the perfect amount for boiling a pound of pasta.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the the pasta. Cook until it’s al dente (or to your preference). Reserve 1/2 cup of water before draining the pasta well.
Step 4: assemble the sausage and pea pasta
Toss the peas into the onion and sausage mixture and turn up to medium-high heat. Add the reserved 1/2 cup of pasta water, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese to make the creamy sauce. Stir to combine and toss the cooked pasta with the sausage and pea sauce and heat through, about 2-3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and top with a little more parmesan cheese and fresh parsley (optional) before serving.
More Easy Pasta and Delicious Dinner Recipes
Some of my favorite easy and tasty dinner recipes from the archives of Farmgirl Gourmet:
Hamburger Helper Beef Stroganoff
Creamy Sausage and Pea Pasta
Description
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet onions, chopped
- ½ cup unsalted butter, 1 stick
- 1 lb pasta, any shape
- 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
- ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Flat leaf parsley, minced (optional)
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan or rimmed skillet over medium-low heat, melt the butter and add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions, stirring frequently, until they are caramelized and a rich brown color, about 1 hour. Adjust the temperature down if they are starting to burn.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt. Boil pasta until al dente or your preferred tenderness. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water then drain the pasta well.
- In a separate skillet, brown the sausage and add to the onion mixture. Add the peas and cook until just warmed through (may be longer if using frozen peas). Add the pasta water, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. Stir to make a creamy sauce.
- Add the pasta and toss to coat with sausage and pea mixture. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
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Recipe By:
Co-Founder at Spiceology | More About Heather…
Heather is a recipe developer and content creator living in Vancouver, Washington. She started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006, almost 20 years ago, as a way to share recipes with friends and family. Heather is also the co-founder of Spiceology , a unique spice company, which she started in 2013. She shares family friendly recipes for easy everyday meals with a gourmet twist.
Came out delicious! I had a craving for a crumbled sausage pasta and found this one. Really simple and delicious. I halved the recipe because I only had 500g of mid Italian sausage. Will add this to the weeknight dinner roster and make sure to double as per original recipe. Thanks!
I really love this recipe and hope you will too!
Delicious and worth the time!!
So glad you loved it Megan! ◡̈ My kids ONLY request this for their birthday dinners and they are both adults! ha.
this looks delicious!! Need to try it this week