This Creamy Tomato Spinach Sausage Pasta is the recipe I make when I want something that tastes like it took effort but actually took twenty minutes. A jar of your favorite marinara, a can of coconut milk, browned chicken sausage, and a big handful of wilted baby spinach simmer together into a sauce that's rich and velvety without any cream, roux, or extra pans. It's ready by the time your pasta is drained, and because the sausage does double duty as your protein, it's a full dinner on its own, no side dish required. I make this constantly on busy weeknights, but it's just as good in the dead of summer with fresh basil torn over the top.
Jump to:
Most creamy tomato pasta recipes start from scratch with butter, garlic, and heavy cream, which is delicious but also means another pan and ten extra minutes you don't always have. This one is built around a good jarred marinara, so it comes together just as fast on a night when that's the only sauce you've got. That said, I almost always have a batch of my authentic Italian red sauce stashed in the freezer, so more often than not, that's actually what goes into this pan; it thaws quickly and gives the sauce a deeper, more homemade flavor than most jars can.
I've tested this with both sweet and hot Italian chicken sausage, and hot is my go-to since the kick balances the sweetness of the tomatoes and the richness of the coconut milk instead of getting lost in it. You'll know the sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a clean line if you drag your finger through it. If it still looks watery after five minutes of simmering, give it another minute or two before you add the pasta back in; it'll thicken more than you expect.
Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream? Here's the Difference
I get asked about this swap constantly, so here's what I've actually found after making this both ways more times than I can count. Full-fat coconut milk keeps the sauce dairy-free and adds a faint sweetness that plays well with the sausage, but it's thinner than cream, so it soaks into the pasta a little more the longer it sits (great fresh, slightly less saucy as leftovers). Heavy cream makes a thicker sauce that clings harder to the noodles and holds up better in the fridge. Neither is more "correct." I reach for coconut milk on a normal weeknight and heavy cream when I'm serving this to guests and want it to look glossy on the plate. Whichever you use, shake or stir it well first: a can that hasn't been shaken will separate into a thin, greasy layer instead of blending into the sauce.
Ingredients
- Pasta. I used rigatoni for this recipe, but you can use your favorite pasta. This sauce would pair perfectly with penne or ziti, anything with ridges or a hollow center to catch the sauce.
- Chicken sausage. I've made this with both sweet Italian and hot Italian chicken sausage. Use either kind or your preferred sausage; just brown it well before adding the sauce (see tip above).
- Pasta sauce. Use your go-to store-bought marinara; any kind will work. If you want a more traditional, from-scratch base, my authentic Italian red sauce made with San Marzano tomatoes is a great swap. If you have a garden full of ripe tomatoes, my fresh cherry tomato pasta sauce comes together in minutes and works beautifully here too.
- Coconut milk. A can of full-fat coconut milk makes this sauce creamy and dairy-free. You can swap in heavy cream 1:1 for a thicker, richer sauce (see the custom block above for the full breakdown).
- Spinach. I recommend fresh baby spinach over frozen, like in my creamy Tuscan chicken, because frozen spinach holds a lot of liquid once it defrosts and will thin out your sauce.
See the recipe card below for quantities and remaining ingredients.
🔪Instructions
Step 1: Cook pasta according to the package directions reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
Step 2: Cook diced chicken sausage in oil over medium heat until browned.
Step 3: Next, pour in the jar of pasta or marinara sauce and bring it to a slight boil. Add ½ of the can of coconut milk to the sauce and add Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta water.
Step 4: Stir the sauce together and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the spinach and pasta and turn off the heat. Stir to combine everything. Serve immediately with grated Parmesan and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳Sarah's Top Tips
- Shake the coconut milk can before opening. I skipped this once and ended up with a layer of separated coconut water at the bottom of the can, which thinned my sauce and made it look greasy instead of creamy. A good shake re-emulsifies the cream and water so it blends in smoothly.
- Don't skip browning the sausage. I tested this once by just simmering diced raw sausage straight in the sauce to save a step, and the flavor was noticeably flatter. Those browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan are doing a lot of the savory work, so deglaze them into the sauce when you add the marinara.
- Reserve pasta water even if you don't think you'll need it. Jarred sauces vary a lot in thickness by brand, and a splash of starchy pasta water is the fastest way to loosen a too-thick sauce without watering down the flavor.
Serving
The classic way I serve this is simple: a generous handful of freshly grated Parmesan and torn fresh basil on top, straight out of the pan. From there, a few pairings I come back to are crusty bread with butter, which is perfect for scraping up every bit of sauce left in the bowl once the pasta's gone, a grilled zucchini salad, where the char and acidity cut through the richness of the coconut milk sauce and make it a good match if you want something lighter on the side, and an arugula salad with pears, where the peppery greens and sweet pear play well against the savory sausage and it's an easy make-ahead side if you're feeding a crowd.
Storage & Reheating
Fridge: Store the pasta and sauce together in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Freeze the sauce without the pasta in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Pasta gets mushy once frozen and thawed, so it's best cooked fresh. To thaw, move it to the fridge overnight or let it sit at room temperature for a few hours.
Reheating: Reheat in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each, or warm gently on the stovetop over low heat. If the sauce looks a little separated after freezing, a splash of reserved pasta water or milk and a good stir while reheating will bring it back together.
More Pasta Recipes
Did you make this recipe? Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and a comment below-I'd love to hear how it turned out! THANK YOU!
Simple Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta
Video
Save this Recipe!
Get the recipe link sent to your inbox!
See the full post for extra tips and photos
Ingredients
- 8-10 ounces pasta of choice, (rigatoni, penne, ziti)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken sausage, diced
- 1 (24 ounce) jar of pasta or marinara sauce
- ½ can full fat coconut milk, shaken
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2-3 cups baby spinach
- 2-3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, optional for serving
Instructions
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot. Once the water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain and set the pasta aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the diced chicken sausage and cook for 3-5 minutes until slightly browned.
- Next, pour in the jar of pasta or marinara sauce and bring the sauce to a boil. Shake the can of coconut milk to mix the coconut cream and water together. Add ½ of the can of coconut milk to the sauce and add in Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper. If the sauce seems too thick, add in some of the reserved pasta water.
- Stir the sauce and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add in the spinach and pasta and turn off the heat. Stir to combine everything together.
- Serve immediately with grated Parmesan, if desired and enjoy!
Sarah's Tips
- Shake the coconut milk well before opening so it blends into the sauce smoothly instead of separating.
- Brown the sausage fully before adding the sauce; it's where most of the flavor in this dish comes from.
- The sauce is ready when it coats the back of a spoon and holds a line if you run your finger through it. If it's still watery, simmer another minute or two.
- Don't rinse the cooked pasta; the starch helps the sauce cling.
- Taste before adding extra salt. Jarred sauce, sausage, and Parmesan are all salty on their own.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. Freeze the sauce alone, without the pasta, for up to 3 months.
James B. says
I love a good creamy tomato sauce, and this beats any sauce you might buy on its own! I love the simple combination of a quality jarred sauce combined with fresh ingredients. I went with heavy cream, and the sauce partners up nicely with the chicken sausage. I’m going to try sweet Italian next time! I will also use this sauce to pour over some chicken breasts and serve them over the veggie pasta.
Sarah Holt says
Thank you James! This would be great on chicken breasts, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Sisley White says
So delicious and easy to make. Thank you for linking up to #CookBlogShare x
Sarah Holt says
thanks Sisley!
Kat (The Baking Explorer) says
This looks delicious, I love a good pasta sauce!
Sarah Holt says
Me too, thanks so much Kat 🙂