You CAN do holiday entertaining in less than one hour with easy family dinner ideas like this Spinach & Sausage One-Pan Alfredo. Simple & delicious!
I know the stress is at a high level this time of year. Not only do you have the regular everyday demands of life, but now with the holidays coming & guests & everything else – oh man. Life is busy & it can get overwhelming.
So add to that the added stress of hosting people for holiday entertaining & I can hear you say “no way”. But today I’m going to share with you how you can pull together a holiday party in less than 1 hour & still feast like you spent all day in the kitchen with this incredible Spinach & Sausage One-Pan Alfredo.
I’m telling you it can be done & it can be delicious! This is especially true when sharing this scrumptious pasta dish & all the other goodies I added along with it.
The key here is planning. When I go to the store I pick up a bunch of things that we love to serve because it makes preparing a spread so simple. Things like crackers, cookies, pies, meat & cheese platters, rolls & wine all go great with this one-pan pasta dish. So knowing that it’s the holiday season & I could be put on the spot to host a gathering at any time, I make sure to stock up.
one pot pasta recipe
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I like to have a couple of pies for dessert. Nothing fancy – but it’s just nice to have something ready & easy. My secret here to getting it all done is that all these things are pretty much ready to go when you buy them. I can come home from the store- have the kids open & plate everything & get the table set up while I work on the main dish.
I’m telling you – in the 30 minutes it takes to put together the One-Pan Alfredo, the family has this entire spread ready & beautiful.
Food, wine & dessert makes for wonderful holiday entertaining. No one would ever know that you pulled this off in less than an hour! But it’s fabulous – no doubt about that!
As for the one pan pasta – it’s literally amazing. I love that I can make something as easy as those meal-in-a-box dinners- but better. Just the pasta & fresh ingredients like sausage, spinach, chicken broth, heavy cream & cheese make this simple & easy.
One skillet dinners are where it’s at! It’s so easy that it makes getting creative even more fun. For instance, chicken & alfredo is the usual pairing. But with this, I chose to do ground sausage instead.
The best part – one skillet. No boiling water separately. You literally brown your sausage, add in your liquids & pasta – cover & cook. Then add your cheese & spinach at the end. It’s THAT simple!
Here are some commonly asked questions
Can I make this recipe with chicken?
Yes- of course you can make this with chicken. This recipe is great for using rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from another recipe. If you are using fresh chicken, just cut into bite-sized pieces & saute in the skillet until no pink remains. Then proceed with the remainder of the recipe.
What is the best way to store leftover penne alfredo?
After serving, place leftover pasta in an airtight container. Be sure to label with the date before refrigerating. This recipe should keep for up to 3 days if not left out for too long. As with most things, it is important to get food into the refrigerator within 1 hour after serving to prevent bacteria growth.
How many can this serve?
This will depend greatly on portion sizes & the appetites of your crowd. This recipe fed our family of 5 for 2 nights with a bit leftover for a couple of people to have lunch the next day. We have 3 young adult children, so we usually don’t have a ton of leftovers of most things, but this was perfect for us all.
alfredo pasta
Can this recipe be doubled?
This recipe basically fills my very large skillet. So as much as I would love to double this recipe & then not have to cook the rest of the week, I don’t know how I would fit all the ingredients in the pan. So, unfortunately, I don’t recommend doubling this recipe.
Do I have to use pronto pasta?
No, not necessarily. I have tried this recipe with both traditional & pronto pasta & it all seems to come out the same. This is wonderful for me, because I can’t always find the pronto pasta. That being said, the pronto pasta might cook a bit faster. So, it is really your call.
HOW DO YOU MAKE Spinach & Sausage One-Pan Alfredo?
- In a large skillet (mine is about 15″ in diameter) brown your sausage over medium heat.
- Once browned, add garlic & cook another minute.
- Add chicken broth, cream & uncooked penne to pan-stir.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cover & reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer 10-20 minutes or until pasta is tender. (mine was about 10 because I cook on a high-output burner & I like mine al dente)
- Stir in spinach & cook another 5 min.
- Remove from heat & fold in Parmesan.
- Sprinkle additional Parmesan when serving if desired.
Can I use gluten-free noodles?
Absolutely. This recipe will work with a gluten-free noodles too. YAY!
What type of cookware should I use?
I find the best results using a very large non-stick skillet with a lid. The lid is essential, so please don’t try to make this without that key component.
Can you freeze one pot alfredo?
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. I have never had much luck with thawing & reheating noodles without them becoming mush. If you have a trick for this, I’d love to hear it.
Leftover Chicken Recipes
Ingredients
- Pronto Penne
- ground sausage
- minced garlic
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- fresh baby spinach
- grated Parmesan cheese
- shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Products I love when making one pot chicken alfredo…
This Spinach & Sausage One-Pan Alfredo recipe is so EASY and delicious – and if you’re like me, then you probably already have many of these items on hand! OR maybe you have never made a one-pot pasta dinner before, & you might be a bit nervous – but you’re going to love how easy this dinner is to make. I have made a list below of the things I absolutely can’t live without when it comes to making this awesome dinner.
- Pronto Penne
- minced garlic
- chicken broth
- grated parmesan cheese
- XL non-stick skillet with lid
- wooden spoons
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
You won’t believe how easy this super delicious dinner is!
one pot pasta recipes
If you love this one pot pasta, you’re going to love these other quick & easy dinner recipes too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!
Rotisserie Chicken Bacon Ranch Tacos
Instant Pot Garlic Pork Tenderloin
Better than Take Out Instant Pot Beef Broccoli
30 minute meal – Skillet Lasagna
Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
Cheesy Broccoli Sausage Skillet Dinner
Crazy Easy Instant Pot Bacon Mac and Cheese
Air Fryer Apricot Glazed Chicken Drumsticks
one pot dinner
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Spinach & Sausage One-Pan Alfredo
Ingredients
- 2 boxes Barilla Pronto Penne 12 oz each
- 4 lbs ground sausage 2 small tubes
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 4-1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 3-1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet (mine is about 15" diameter) brown your sausage over medium heat.
- Once browned, add garlic & cook another minute.
- Add chicken broth, cream & uncooked penne to the pan- stir.
- Bring to a boil.
- Cover & reduce to a simmer.
- Simmer 10-20 minutes or until pasta is tender. (mine was about 10 because I cook on a high output burner & I like mine al dente)
- Stir in spinach & cook another 5 min.
- Remove from heat & fold in Parmesan.
- Sprinkle additional Parmesan when serving if desired.
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate. Please double-check with your own dietary calculator for the best accuracy. We at Yummi Haus cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site.
Tamar says
Alfredo sauce was always one of my favorite meals!