An easy, creamy, 20-minute meal that is both filling and delicious. Use protein pasta and chicken sausage for an extra protein boost, or sneak in extra vegetables for a whole meal in one pot.

Serves: 4 Prep time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 22 minutes

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There’s not really any use in telling you how much I love pasta. It would be far weirder if I didn’t, right? Especially something as straightforward as a creamy, tomatoey, rich, and saucy cavatappi, which feels just as ubiquitously loved as a simple mac and cheese. In fact, it’s a similar idea to the famously delicious vodka sauce, minus the grain liquor.

There is some use in leading with my love of pasta; I developed this recipe as a means to make pasta night a little more diet-friendly, though the option is totally yours to do the same. I try to eat a good amount of carbs and an even better amount of protein in order to have the energy to lift and build muscles. Protein pastas are perfect for this and are easy to incorporate vegetables into. If your goals are similar to mine in this way, I wrote some tips below on how to make this work for you.

If you just want a good, creamy pasta, then this is a super straightforward recipe to make. You can also make this vegetarian by simply leaving out the sausage in the beginning. Vegan isn’t as easy, but can be done by using vegan whipping cream (it cooks exactly the same) and skipping the cheese.

Sausage or not, this recipe is perfect for a quick dinner with very little fuss. It’s so simple, in fact, that you may have most of the ingredients already in your pantry; and it doesn’t get any better than one less trip to the grocery store.

how can I make this protein-rich?

Especially with the advent of gluten-free pastas, noodles have come a long way in the nutritional field; and with some compromise can be a great way to sneak in more vegetables and legumes. Recently popular is protein pasta, which can have anywhere from 10 to 15 grams of protein per serving from ingredients like chickpea flour or pea protein. This is significant compared to regular pasta, which hovers around 5 or 6. Doubling the protein is great for anyone who wants to get more protein in their diet and happens to love carbs, too.

The other way to make this a healthy protein powerhouse is to use chicken sausage, which has less fat and calories than typical pork sausages. If chicken sausage sounds like a bad time to you, I urge you to take a look at the variety your store carries. Cajun-inspired sausages, garlic and onion, or any kind of pepper flavor works great with this pasta and replicates the meaty flavor of pork pretty well. If calories or fat content isn’t important to you, then Italian sausage works great, too.

using vegetables

I love one-pot meals. At the end of a long day, I mostly just want to dump my food into one bowl, sit on the couch, and decompress as much as possible while I eat. While you can serve this pasta alongside roasted vegetables or a side of salad, you can also toss the vegetables right into the pasta itself for an all-in-one meal. And if you’re anything like me, this might be a very enticing deal for you.

Some great vegetables to consider adding to this pasta are yellow squash, zucchini, broccoli, carrots, white mushrooms, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes. You can also switch up the green and use spinach instead of kale.

To incorporate vegetables into this recipe, remove the sausage from the skillet and sauté the veggies in the drippings. Then simply continue with the recipe as written, adding the sausages back at the very end to warm through.

*Cavatappi (or "Loopdy-Loos") made by* *Goodles*

cream sausage cavatappi ingredients

sausage: You can use a traditional, sweet Italian sausage, hot Italian sausage, or chicken sausage for this recipe. If using chicken sausage, choose a flavor like pepper and onion, spinach and cheese, or even Cajun for some heat. Avoid anything fruity like apple or pineapple flavored sausage. Whichever sausage you choose, cut them into 1/4-inch slices.

garlic and onion: A few aromatics for flavor. You need about 2 tablespoons of minced garlic and a cup of diced onion, but you don’t need to be too exact about this.

tomato paste: Tomato paste adds a deeper tomato flavor to the sauce. In a pinch, this can be skipped.

tomato sauce: I just use a simple canned tomato sauce for this, since the tomato flavor is not too forward in a sauce made with heavy cream and parmesan. You can also use jarred passata or purée.

heavy cream: Heavy cream will yield the thickest, creamiest, and richest pasta sauce because cream thickens nicely over the heat. You can swap for half and half for a slightly thinner and less rich sauce. Avoid using milk.

parmesan: This thickens the sauce, adds a little bit of salty flavor, and lends to the creamy final texture. I highly recommend grating your parmesan fresh for the best results; store-bought grated parmesan does not melt as smoothly.

kale: Technically optional but highly recommended — this is a very easy way to add vegetables to a pasta dish. I personally like the texture of greens mixed into creamy pastas, but if you hate it, feel free to omit or swap for spinach. When wilting the greens into the dish, stir constantly until the kale is soft and bright green, then remove from the heat.

pasta: This recipe is designed for cavatappi but absolutely works well with any pasta shape. I recommend smaller shapes that are good for holding thick sauces, such as penne, farfalle, or fusilli.

*Brown the sausage, then soften the aromatics*

*The sauce will be fairly thin and pale at first.*

creamy sausage cavatappi pairing options

The best sides to pair with pasta are simple: Vegetables, salads, and possibly some bread. Here are some good examples of side dishes I pair with this rich and creamy pasta:

Caesar salad with crispy chickpeas
Melon caprese skewers (or salad)
Roasted summer squash and zucchini
Pull-apart garlic bread
Honey-roasted Brussels sprouts
Za’atar wedge salads