Italian Sausage Pasta with Vegetables (Easy, WW Friendly)

This is one of my all-time favorite pasta recipes and it has a history. I first made it for my brother Peter back in the late 1990s, adapted from Jacques Pépin’s Cooking With Claudine (affiliate link). He gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up and it’s been in my files ever since — which means it has been making regular appearances at my table for nearly 30 years.

I love pasta. I truly cannot imagine life without it, which is one of the reasons WW has been the only program that has ever worked for me long term — no food is off limits, you just learn how to work with it. In the case of pasta, I’ve learned over the years to load it up with vegetables and protein so a reasonable portion actually keeps me satisfied. The ratio of sausage and vegetables to pasta here is what makes this work.

It comes together in about 35 minutes with one pot of pasta water and one sauté pan, and the leftovers are excellent.

Adapted from Jacques Pépin’s Kitchen: Cooking With Claudine (affiliate link).

Why I Love This Recipe

• Nearly 30 years in my recipe files — and still on regular rotation
• One pot pasta + one sauté pan — manageable weeknight cleanup
• 35 minutes start to finish
• Loaded with vegetables — broccoli, corn, and cherry tomatoes alongside the sausage
• Easy to customize — different vegetables, different proteins, different pasta shapes; it works with almost anything

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Italian-style turkey sausage — 6 ounces, which keeps this lean and WW friendly. Chicken sausage works equally well. Pork sausage is delicious but will add points — check the WW app with your specific brand. Ground turkey, beef, or chopped chicken breast are all good alternatives. For a vegetarian version, skip the sausage and add a can of rinsed garbanzo or white beans, or use soy crumbles or tempeh.
• Olive oil — extra virgin (affiliate link), 3 tablespoons total. One goes in with the sausage, two go in at the end with the pasta water to create a light sauce. Don’t skip the second addition — it’s what brings everything together.
• Pasta — 12 ounces of any tube-shaped pasta (ziti, penne, rigatoni). Whole wheat pasta is a good swap and works beautifully with the sausage and vegetables.
• Broccoli — 3 cups of florets. Cut them roughly the same size so they cook evenly. Frozen broccoli (thawed) works in a pinch.
• Garlic — 2–3 cloves, chopped. Fresh is important here since it goes directly into the hot pan.
• Corn — 2 cups. Fresh off the cob in summer is wonderful; frozen or canned (drained) works year-round.
• Cherry tomatoes — 12 ounces. They burst and soften in the pan, adding sweetness and a little sauce. Halve any especially large ones.
• Parmesan — freshly grated, for serving. Because it’s so flavorful you don’t need much — a fine grater helps. The cheese isn’t included in the nutrition or points calculation since the amount varies; account for it in the WW app.
• Red pepper flakes — optional but recommended. A generous pinch adds warmth that plays nicely against the sweetness of the corn and tomatoes.

Calories and WW Points

According to my calculations, each generous serving has 341 calories and 10 WW Points.

To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
9 PointsPlus (Old plan)

How to Make Italian Sausage Pasta with Vegetables

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1–2 tablespoons of salt and cook the pasta until al dente. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.

Step 2: Meanwhile, break the sausage into small crumbles and cook in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat until nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

Step 3: While the pasta and sausage cook, rinse the broccoli florets and halve any especially large cherry tomatoes.

Step 4: Once the sausage has browned, add the broccoli and garlic to the pan and stir to combine. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes until the broccoli is just tender.

Step 5: Add the corn and tomatoes, cover, and cook for 2–3 minutes more until the tomatoes just begin to burst.

Step 6: Add the drained pasta, reserved pasta water, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt. Stir everything together over low heat for 2–3 minutes. If the sauté pan isn’t large enough, transfer everything to the pasta pot.

Step 7: Serve in warmed bowls with freshly grated Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

Tips for Success

• Salt your pasta water generously. It should taste like the sea — this is the only real seasoning the pasta itself gets.
• Reserve the pasta water before draining. This starchy water is what binds the sauce. Don’t skip this step.
• Don’t overcook the broccoli. Five minutes covered over reduced heat keeps it tender-crisp. Longer and it gets mushy and loses its color.
• Bulk it up with more vegetables. A larger serving doesn’t have to mean more points — extra broccoli, zucchini, or green beans add volume without adding much.

Storing

Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water to loosen, or in the microwave (affiliate link). The pasta will absorb liquid as it sits — add a little water or broth when reheating.

If you’ve made this Easy Pasta with Sausage and Vegetables, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Source: adapted from Jacques Pepin’s Kitchen: Cooking With Claudine (affiliate link) (Jacques Pepin’s Kitchen Television Program)

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is a serving? One serving is 1/6th of the recipe. The easiest way to portion it is to mentally divide the finished pan into 6 equal portions — like slicing a pie — and scoop up that amount. You can always add more vegetables to bulk up your serving without adding many points.

Is the Parmesan included in the nutrition/points? No — the amount varies by person, so it’s not calculated in. A tablespoon of freshly grated Parmesan is about 20 calories. Account for whatever you use in the WW app.

How do the points change with pork sausage? Pork sausage varies significantly by brand and fat content. Enter your specific sausage in the WW app to get an accurate Points calculation.

Can I make this vegetarian? Yes — skip the sausage and add a can of rinsed garbanzo or white beans at the corn and tomato stage. Soy crumbles or tempeh browned in the olive oil also work well as a direct swap.

More WW Friendly Pasta Recipes

• Fresh Corn and Tomato Pasta
• Weight Watchers Tomato Chicken Feta Pasta
• Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage & Kale
• Baked Pasta with Zucchini & Cottage Cheese
• Light and Healthy Creamy One Pot Pasta
• Instant Pot Rigatoni with Meat Sauce i