This Sausage Arugula and Spinach Pasta is a perfect quick recipe for your weeknight dinner! It’s light yet hearty and full of flavor.

Pasta dinners don’t always have to be heavy. In fact, some of my favorite pastas are those with light sauces like Linguine Aglio E Olio,  Macaroni and Tomatoes with Greens or Spaghetti with Browned Butter and Mizithra. 

And also this Sausage Arugula and Spinach Pasta. It is a complete meal all in one! The greens, the protein, the carbs. It’s all there. An it is so delicious.

What Ingredients You’ll Need: 

Overhead photo of ingredients needed for sausage arugula pasta.
  • PENNE PASTA: Penne works great in this recipe but you can use any short pasta that you like. This would also be great with ziti or rotini. You’ll also need to reserve some of the pasta water so don’t forget!
  • ITALIAN SAUSAGE: To make this pasta even lighter, you can use turkey Italian Sausage instead of pork Italian Sausage. If you use the links, just remove the casing by cutting a little slit in the casing and peeling it off.
  • OLIVE OIL
  • SHALLOT: Shallots have a delicate sweet flavor. It’s a subtle onion flavor but not over powering.
  • GARLIC
  • DRIED OREGANO: You can also use fresh if you have some on hand. You’ll want to use 2 teaspoons of fresh.
  • CRUSHED RED PEPPER: Depending on how sensitive you (or those you are feeding) are to spice you can use less or more than the 1 teaspoon that the recipe calls for. If you’re unsure start with 1/4 teaspoon.
  • BABY ARUGULA: Arugula is one of my favorite greens! It is lightly bitter and peppery.
  • SPINACH: You can use baby or regular spinach for this recipe.
  • SALT/PEPPER
  • PARMESAN: A healthy grating of fresh parmesan over the top of this pasta adds just the right amount of salty flavor.

HOW TO MAKE SAUSAGE ARUGULA PASTA:

You’ll only need two pots/pans for this recipe: one large pot to boil the pasta and another large pan for the other ingredients. You do need the second pan to be large enough to fit the pasta. I like to use a large braiser pan.

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water.
  • Cook Sausage.
  • Saute garlic, shallots, oregano and crushed red pepper.
  • Add all ingredients back to pan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

STEP #1: Cook the pasta according to package directions. Before draining your pasta remember to reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. This will be used for the sauce later in the recipe.

STEP #2: Brown the sausage until cooked through then strain grease. Set sausage aside.

STEP #3: In the same pan, saute olive oil, shallots, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper.

STEP #4: Return the sausage to the pan and add the cooked pasta as well as the arugula, spinach and reserved pasta water. Cook just until the greens wilt. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with parmesan.

This recipe comes together in under 30 which makes it perfect for busy weeknights or nights when you just don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen.

STORAGE AND LEFTOVERS:

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and this pasta reheats beautifully the next day!

FAQ:

Why reserve pasta water?

Pasta water is full of the starch from the pasta. This starch acts as a binder and helps bring sauces together.

Do you eat the stems of Arugula?

Yes! You can. The leaves, stems, flowers and seeds of arugula are all edible.

If you’re looking for more arugula recipes, check these out:

This Spinach, Arugula, Cranberry and Walnut Salad is the PERFECT salad for your holiday celebrations.

Looking for a hearty salad? This Crispy Chickpea and Arugula Salad is protein packed and will keep your belly satisfied all day.

Arugula’s peppery flavor makes it the perfect green to top these Ribeye Steak Sandwiches.

Note: This post was originally published in 2009. It was updated with new photos, nutrition information, tips and a slightly modified recipe in 2022.

Sausage Arugula Spinach Pasta
10m
Prep
15m
Cook
25m
Total

Servings

4

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces dried penne pasta
  • 16 ounces Italian Sausage (casings removed)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 shallot (chopped)
  • 4 cloves garlic (sliced)
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
  • 2 cups baby arugula
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to box directions. Strain but reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water. Set cooked pasta aside.
  2. While your pasta is cooking brown sausage in a pan over medium heat, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a colander to strain grease. Set aside.
  3. To the same pan that you cooked the sausage in add olive oil, shallot, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper. Cook until shallot is translucent, about 5 minutes.
  4. Return sausage to the pan, add cooked pasta, arugula, spinach and reserved pasta water. Toss to combine and cook for 2 minutes or just until the greens wilt. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Transfer to serving platter, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
Amount per serving
Calories
760
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 40g 51%
Saturated Fat 14g 70%
Cholesterol 92mg 31%
Sodium 968mg 42%
Total Carbohydrate 68g 25%
Dietary Fiber 4g 14%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 30g
* The % Daily Value tells you how much a nutrient in a serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
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Deseree

Whether it is cooking it, eating it, shopping for it or watching TV about it, food is one of my favorite things.

12 Reviews

  1. Our Best Sausage Recipes – thehappy-chef.com February 2, 2025

    […] 33. Penne with Sausage and Arugula […]

  2. Deseree February 19, 2024

    I am glad you were able to adjust the recipe to turn it into something that you loved! I’ll have to try the lemon zest next time :)

  3. Melissa February 19, 2024

    Maybe my sausage wasn’t fatty enough… but this was really dry and kind of bland before I doctored it. Added a full cup of pasta water, some more olive oil and a fair amount of parmesan. Extra greens. Some lemon zest really helped. Eventually it was a very tasty pasta

  4. Deseree September 24, 2023

    That sounds so good, Kristina! Glad you enjoyed it!!

  5. Kristina September 19, 2023

    This was refrigerator clean out day, made this with some minced onion, a small amount of roasted chicken breast, pesto, spinach and arugula mix. Amazing.

  6. The Art of Focusing on What You Actually Want – The Renovating Transcendentalists January 8, 2017

    […] Pasta: 5 minute red wine and mushroom pasta sauce, carmelized onion, kale and goat cheese linguine, spinach walnut pesto, boursin and fresh spinach with ravioli, simplest onion red sauce, penne with sausage and arugala […]

  7. Deseree January 18, 2010

    Kim- Thank you for your nice comments. I am happy to hear that I was able to help you move away from processed food. I hope you enjoy all your new cooking experiences! :)

  8. Kim January 17, 2010

    As a recent college student, I’ve been living on ramen and processed food. On a whim, I decided to try out this recipe, and, besides being utterly delicious, has completely revolutionized the way I see food. I know now that I can actually cook for myself, and with ingredients that won’t kill me in the future.

    So thank you for that :)

  9. Deseree December 1, 2009

    Samantha- Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it! I’m happy to hear it :)

  10. Samantha November 30, 2009

    Wow, this was really, really good. My grocery story didn’t have Arugula but it was fantastic anyway. Definitely cooking this again

  11. Deseree November 21, 2009

    Marion- I haven’t had too much experience with radish greens but I’m sure just about any greens would work. I hope you enjoy this just as much as you enjoyed the sausage, peppers and onions :)

  12. Marion November 19, 2009

    I loved your fettucine with sausage, peppers and onions, so I know I’ll like this. I don’t know if I will be able to find baby arugula here in the boondocks but they will have the baby spinach.

    I’m wondering how a few sprigs of water cress would work in this, or even radish greens. Because of the holidays radishes and their greens are plentiful.

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