Growing Homes for Growing Kids

12 Quick and Easy Recipes That Start with Ground Sausage

Sheela PrakashSenior Contributing Food Editor

published Aug 8, 2022

Page URL

We independently select these products—if you buy from one of our links, we may earn a commission. All prices were accurate at the time of publishing.

Baked gnocchi with melted cheese, tomato sauce, and fresh basil in a white casserole dish. — Credit: Olive & Mango
Gnocchi Lasagna with Spinach, White Beans, and Sausage

If you were to glimpse into my freezer at any given moment, I guarantee you’d find a pound or two of uncooked sausage inside. Hot Italian is my preference — either ground sausage sold in bulk or as links — but really, no matter the variety, sausage is a true dinner miracle. It’s so packed with seasoning that you hardly need to do much to turn it into a meal.

Add crumbled, browned sausage to everything from a pot of rice to a sheet pan of vegetables and you’ve instantly got a hearty and satisfying dinner on your hands. It doesn’t matter if it’s pork, turkey, or chicken sausage — it all holds equal potential. These 10 recipes show off just how versatile and convenient (not to mention, crowd-pleasing) sausage really is.

1 / 20

Credit: Kelli Foster

Sausage Pasta with Spinach

This pasta with Italian sausage and heaps of baby spinach is a satisfying 35-minute meal that’s sure to become your weeknight standby.

2 / 20

Credit: Laura Rege

This zuppa toscana recipe outdoes the popular Olive Garden menu item. Creamy with just a touch of heat and spice from hot Italian sausage, this potato and kale studded soup is rich and satisfying.

3 / 20

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Ben Weiner

Caramelized Onion, Apple, and Sausage Pasta

A savory one-pot pasta with caramelized onions, apples, and Italian sausage.

4 / 20

Credit: Photo: Christopher Testani; Food Styling: Rebecca Jurkevich; Prop Styling: Paige Hicks

Creamy Gnocchi with Kale and Sausage

As opposed to making a béchamel or Mornay, the creamy cheese in this recipe acts as the sauce, melting into the sausage and kale, ringing out punchy flavors from the garlic and spotlighting the delicate notes from the herbs.

5 / 20

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe ; Food Stylist: James Park

Pasta alla Boscaiola

Made with Italian sausage, dried mushrooms, tomato sauce, and heavy cream, pasta alla boscaiola will be your new favorite Italian comfort food.

6 / 20

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Sausage and Peppers

Grab just three ingredients (ground sausage, bell peppers, and potato gnocchi) toss them together on a sheet pan, and in under 30 minutes you’ve got pure dinner magic on your hands.

7 / 20

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

Easy, Supremely-Satisfying Sausage Meatball Soup

Nothing against homemade meatballs, but this speedy shortcut gives them some stiff competition. Here uncooked ground sausage is rolled into bite-sized balls and pan-fried for a lazy approach.

8 / 20

Credit: Nealey Dozier

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

A hearty Italian sausage and cheese tortellini soup that's complex yet so comforting.

9 / 20

Credit: Lauren Volo

Orecchiette with Caramelized Fennel and Spicy Sausage

Caramelized onions, sure, but caramelized fennel? Slow-cooking the vegetable brings out its natural sweetness and really makes it something special — especially when you add spicy sausage.

10 / 20

Credit: Emma Christensen

Pasta with Cauliflower, Sausage & Breadcrumbs

This is a delicious and easy pasta — my favorite kind — with mostly pantry ingredients and Italian sausage to wow it up.

11 / 20

Credit: Lauren Volo

Sausage and Eggplant Summer Frittata

If you’re worried a frittata isn’t hearty enough for dinner, you haven’t made this one yet. It’s so jam-packed with sausage, eggplant, goat cheese, and herbs that you definitely won’t go hungry.

12 / 20

Credit: Lauren Volo

Sausage Ragù over Creamy Polenta

If you have the time to make the creamy polenta in this recipe, it’s well worth it. However, if you’d rather speed things up, simply toss the ragù with your favorite pasta.

13 / 20

Credit: Olive & Mango

Gnocchi Lasagna with Spinach, White Beans, and Sausage

This crowd-pleasing casserole is surprisingly light and fresh, thanks to the addition of spinach and white beans. Use plant-based sausage instead of pork sausage to make it vegetarian.

14 / 20

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

5-Ingredient Sausage Stuffed Onions

Stuffed onion halves with a mix of ground sausage, mushrooms, and herbs makes for a satisfying dinner that’s naturally gluten-free and low in carbohydrates.

15 / 20

Credit: Joe Lingeman

Fried Potatoes and Sausage Skillet

This simple skillet really can be dinner, lunch, or breakfast. Feel free to mix up the components, too: Try swapping in sweet potatoes or another color bell pepper. You also can’t go wrong with topping servings with a fried egg.

16 / 20

Credit: Photo: Julia Gartland; Food Styling: Jesse Szewczyk

Sausage-and-Peppers Stuffed Eggplant

A classic combination of Italian sausage and sweet peppers ensures these eggplant boats are hearty and satisfying.

17 / 20

Credit: Joe Lingeman

Sausage and Tomato Risotto

You’ve been warned: This comforting risotto is extra moreish. So it’s practically expected that you’ll go in for seconds.

18 / 20

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman; Food Styling: Cyd McDowell

Sausage and Kale Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Spicy sausage, juicy tomatoes, salty cheese, and buttery strands of squash — this satisfying dinner has it all, and it’s incredibly easy too.

19 / 20

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman/Kitchn; Food Stylist: Brett Regot/Kitchn

Crispy Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Mushrooms, Sausage, and Butternut Squash

A fall-inspired recipe for crispy sheet pan gnocchi that comes together in 30 minutes.

20 / 20

Credit: Sheela Prakash

Spicy Sausage and Rice Soup

Go ahead and use whatever type of Italian sausage you like—chicken or pork, hot or sweet. Don’t veer from the brown rice, however. Not only becauseof its whole-grain goodness, but also because brown rice actually holdsup better in the soup and won’t turn to mush when you reheat leftover bowls.

This post was originally published on Kitchn. Read it there: 12 Quick and Easy Recipes That Start with Ground Sausage

More Quick Dinners

More to Love from Cubby