This Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli is tasty, balanced and ready in 30 minutes. The best easy weeknight dinner that's packed with protein.
Warming pasta dishes will always have a special place in my heart, and this pasta with sausage and broccoli will be a winner. Similar to my cottage cheese alfredo, we make a high protein sauce with tomato, cottage cheese and chicken broth. Then we mix that into rigatoni, chicken sausage, cherry tomatoes and broccoli for a delicious weeknight dinner.
Top with parmesan for a dinner everyone will love!
Why This Recipe Is Dietitian Approved
- Ready in 30 minutes. The ideal weeknight dinner can be whipped together in 30 minutes max, so this broccoli sausage pasta fits the bill.
- Balanced dinner. We have lots of protein from the cottage cheese and sausage, plus fibre and color from the veggies. This pasta is sure to satiate.
- Hearty and satisfying. This meal combines nourishment with satisfying foods you crave. Who said pasta can't be healthy?
Ingredients
Pasta. I like using rigatoni, as the shape works really well with the sauce.
Broccoli. Fresh or frozen broccoli both work. As a dietitian, I love broccoli because it's source of nutrients like vitamin c, vitamin K and calcium.
Chicken sausage. This is our source of protein. You may also use turkey sausage, or pork sausage if you prefer. I tend to choose the mild Italian flavoured sausages if they are available as they add a great flavour to this pasta.
Shallot. These have a more mild flavour than an onion, so they're a great way to get a pop of flavour that isn’t overpowering. If you cannot find shallots, a yellow cooking onion will work well.
Spices. We use red pepper flakes, italian seasoning, and dried parsley.
Tomato paste. This recipe uses an entire can of tomato paste, so you won’t have a small random amount left in your fridge.
Chicken broth. I always look for no salt added versions as I like to customize the amount of salt in recipes myself.
Cherry tomatoes. For a burst of freshness! We use whole cherry tomatoes (so no chopped required).
Cottage cheese. We use cottage cheese in place of heavy cooking cream for a higher protein sauce. For pasta sauces, I usually opt for 5% cottage cheese as it creates the creamiest sauce.
The complete ingredient list with measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Instructions
- To a large pot, add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add dry pasta. Cook for about 2 minutes before adding broccoli florets. Allow both the pasta and broccoli to cook together for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse before setting aside.
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add sliced sausage and cook until no longer pink in colour. Add the cooked sausage to a plate and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add diced shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian spices, dried parsley, and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant and onions are translucent in colour (about 3-4 minutes).
- To a food processor or high powered blender add tomato paste mixture, chicken broth and cottage cheese and blend until smooth.
- In a large skillet over low heat, add the cherry tomatoes, pasta, broccoli and cooked sausage, allow to cook until tomatoes begin to soften (about 5 minutes).
- Stir in the cottage cheese sauce and stir until warm. Serve topped with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Substitutions and Variations
To make gluten-free: use gluten-free pasta.
To make dairy-free: I haven't tested this, but you can try swapping the cottage cheese for dairy-free ricotta. You can also try my vegan red pepper pasta sauce instead.
To make nut-free: this recipe is naturally nut-free.
Missing ingredients? Try these:
- Chicken broth: swap for vegetable broth
- Cottage cheese: I prefer 5%, but 2% also works. You can also swap the cottage cheese for ricotta.
- Sausage: swap for another protein of choice like chicken breast.
If you would like an even cheesier sauce, you can stir some shredded cheese or parmesan directly into the sauce when adding it to the pan with the pasta.
For added veggies, stir in 1-2 cups of fresh spinach with the cherry tomatoes and cook it down until it wilts.
Equipment
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Cooked pasta and sauce can be reheated in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave for about 1 minute.
I do not recommend freezing the pasta, because the cottage cheese tends to separate after freezing.
Top Tips for Success
Avoid overheating the sauce. When warming the sauce with the pasta, broccoli and sausage ensure the heat is LOW. Overheating the sauce will cause the proteins in the cottage cheese to separate.
Avoid overcooking your broccoli by paying close attention to the cook time of your pasta. Broccoli should only need to be cooked for about 5 minutes, so subtract 5 from the cook time of your pasta specific on the package. This number is how long you should cook your pasta prior to adding the broccoli. For example: pasta cook time is 7 minutes (7-5=3); cook pasta 3 minute before adding the broccoli and cooking for the remaining 5 minutes.
For additional flavour, add 1 chicken bouillon cube to your pasta water.
Frequently Asked Questions
As we are blending the sauce there is virtually no taste or texture of cottage cheese. This sauce tastes like a creamy tomato based sauce!
Yes of course! I like to cook them together to save time and dishes but you can use normal cooking methods if you prefer.
Yes you can however the cook time will vary - frozen broccoli typically only needs 2-4 minutes to cook.
More Pasta Recipes
Save these recipes for your next pasta night:
- Cheesy Spinach and Artichoke Pasta
- Creamy Chicken and Tomato Pasta
- Comforting Sausage Spinach Pasta Bake
- Vegan Red Pepper Pasta Sauce
See you in the kitchen!
PS. I love seeing my recipes in action! If you decide to make this pasta with sausage and broccoli, don't forget to snap a photo and tag me on Instagram- @nourishedbynic or leave a comment and rating below letting me know how you liked it!
📖 Recipe
Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 14 oz dry rigatoni about 2 heaping cups
- 2 heaping cups broccoli florets about 1 large head
- 2 tablespoon olive oil divided
- 1 lb mild italian chicken sausage sliced into rounds
- 2 shallots diced
- 3 cloves garlic pressed
- 1 5.5 oz can tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoon italian seasoning blend
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ cup chicken broth no salt added
- 2 cups 5% cottage cheese room temperature
- 1.5 cups whole cherry tomatoes
- Fresh basil for serving
- Parmesan cheese or serving
Instructions
- To a large pot, add water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add dry pasta. Cook for about 2 minutes before adding broccoli florets. Allow both the pasta and broccoli to cook together for about 5 minutes (this time may change based on the cooking instructions of your pasta- broccoli only needs about 5 minutes to cook so begin by cooking pasta alone for any time over the 5 minute period before adding broccoli) . Drain and rinse before setting aside.
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add sliced sausage and cook until no longer pink in colour. Add the cooked sausage to a plate and set aside.
- To the same pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Once hot, add diced shallots, garlic, red pepper flakes, Italian spices, dried parsley, and tomato paste. Cook until fragrant and onions are translucent in colour (about 3-4 minutes).
- To a food processor or high powered blender add tomato paste mixture, chicken broth and cottage cheese and blend until smooth.
- In a large skillet over low heat, add the cherry tomatoes, pasta, broccoli and cooked sausage, allow to cook until tomatoes begin to soften (about 5 minutes). Stir in the cottage cheese sauce and stir until warm. Serve topped with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Steph says
Our whole family loved this meal! Our daughter asked for seconds and wanted it for school lunch the next day. That’s a win in my books!
It’s not complicated and uses everyday ingredients. It’s now on our bi-weekly rotation!
Nicole Addison says
An EASY weeknight dinner I hope you love as much as us!