This simple sausage and spinach orecchiette pasta combines beef sausage with garlic, herbs, baby spinach, peas and fresh lemon to create a delicious and easy dinner in just 20 minutes! Plus this recipe is budget friendly, costing just $1.80 per serve.
If you follow me on Instagram or TikTok or are signed up to my email list, you’re probably very aware of my budget friendly meals series. Basically I am working on creating a collection of simple recipes that are $3 or less per serve. Obviously costs of groceries fluctuate and differ but this is the guidelines I am using for now as a baseline.
But really, the best budget friendly recipes are those that we can make to feed our household using the ingredients we have already at home without needing to go to the shops and as a result probably buying more than we need.
This is something that I’ve been doing forever, especially when it comes to pastas, so I thought I’d share some of these creations as part of this series! This recipe is based on some budget beef sausages I had in the freezer (because they come in a big bulk pack!) leftover from these sausage and egg smash tacos.
Combined with a few other ingredients I found, including orecchiette pasta which I bought because I thought it would be cute in photos (yes, that is how you think when you’re a professional food photographer and blogger), this pasta was created. I probably shouldn’t say this, but the end result actually surprised me with how good it tastes. I’ll happily be including this in my weekly meal rotation!
This recipe is cheap, it’s easy and it’s super delicious. Plus it’s flexible so you can use it more of a guideline and adjust based on what is in YOUR house.
If you like this pasta recipe, then I think you’ll also love my one pot sausage and broccoli pasta or for a vegetarian option this 20 minute bow tie pasta which is an absolute go to when I feel like there is nothing in the fridge.
Key Ingredients
This spinach and sausage pasta recipe was literally created based on ingredients I already had in my house so use that as inspiration to make adjustments based on what you have. And who knows, maybe your fridge/freezer/pantry looks similar to mine and you have everything ready to go!
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Beef sausages – I am using budget beef sausages and removing the casing. But really, use any sausages you like for this recipe. Different flavoured sausages will add to the flavour of the dish so use what you like or have on hand.
- Onion – as this is a simple pasta recipe, the onion helps to build a flavour base that we’ll build on.
- Garlic – lots of garlic helps give this pasta flavour.
- Dried herbs – I am just using the mixed herb mix from the supermarket but you can use any combination of oregano, basil, parsley. If you have fresh herbs, you could use those as well!
- Chilli flakes – I like to add a little spice but you can adjust the amount based on your tastes.
- Vegetables – for some reason there seems to always be a bag of baby spinach in my fridge that I don’t remember why I bought it, and there are ALWAYS frozen peas in my freezer. But change up the veg based on what you have in your fridge.
- Orecchiette pasta – literally translated to ‘small ear’, this pasta shape is fun and works well in this recipe, but you don’t need this specific shape to make this dish. Shells are more commonly found and are very similar, but any short pasta shape will work. If you do want to use orecchiette I usually find it available at Coles supermarkets.
- Olive oil – this is a super simple pasta recipe, so a dressing of olive oil helps create the sauce.
- Lemon juice – is going to combine with the olive oil to create a light and fresh sauce to bring the pasta together.
- Salt and pepper – do not skip the seasoning in this recipe. Season well to make sure all the flavours are enhanced and the dish isn’t bland.
Step-By-Step Instructions
This is such an easy pasta recipe to make on a busy weeknight. You’ll just need a pot to cook the pasta and a large frying pan.
Start by bringing a large pot of water to a boil and cooking your pasta according to the packet instructions. While that’s happening, do your prep. Peel and chop the onion and garlic and remove the sausage meat from the casing.
Next, heat some oil in a pan and fry off the onion and garlic until translucent. Add in the sausage meat and break it apart. You can do this with a wooden spoon but a potato masher is much more effective!
Season the sausage meat with the dried herbs and chilli flakes and cook until crispy and browned. Add in the frozen peas and baby spinach, followed by the cooked pasta.
Add in some olive oil, lemon juice and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper and mix everything well to combine.
Taste and adjust your seasoning, lemon juice and chilli to your liking. Serve into bowls and finish with some Parmigiano-Reggiano if you like or skip to keep this recipe completely dairy free.
Serve this sausage and spinach orecchiette on its own or with a simple green salad and some crusty bread. Or for something more, try this homemade olive and herb focaccia.
Recipe FAQs
No, but it can be lactose free. Parmesan cheese, especially Parmigiano-Reggiano produced in Italy, is usually safe to consume by people with lactose intolerance as long as it has aged for at least 12 months due to the cheese-making process.
What happens is that the lactose is converted into lactic acid, which is then drained off with the whey. This means that even though Parmesan is made from cow’s milk, it contains only trace amounts of lactose and can be safely consumed by people with lactose intolerance.
The production of Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italy is tightly regulated and must adhere to strict guidelines to ensure quality and authenticity. One of these guidelines is that the cheese must be aged for a minimum of 12 months, with many producers choosing to age their cheese for much longer to develop a richer flavour.
Therefore, I always buy Parmigiano-Reggiano produced in Italy so I know it’s gone through this strict process and will be safe for me to consume.
Yes, simply swap the orecchiette pasta for your favourite gluten-free pasta.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. To reheat, add a splash of water or olive oil to the pasta and warm it gently in a frying pan or microwave.
More easy weeknight pasta recipes:
One Pot Spicy Sausage Pasta
Vegan Vodka Pasta
Spinach Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Spaghetti Carbonara
Creamy Salmon Tagliatelle (Dairy-Free)
Sausage and Spinach Orecchiette
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ brown onion finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 beef sausages cases removed
- 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs or Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
- 60 grams baby spinach
- ¼ cup frozen peas
- 400 grams orecchiette pasta or any small pasta shape
- 1-2 tablespoons lemon juice approx. 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano optional to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the orecchiette pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Set aside.
- In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for a further 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the sausage meat to the pan with the onions and garlic. Break up the sausage with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add the dried mixed herbs and chilli flakes and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes, or until browned and cooked through.
- Stir in the baby spinach, and frozen peas and add in the cooked pasta. Add in the final tablespoon of olive oil and the lemon juice and mix the pasta well to combine everything. Season very well with salt and pepper to taste. If the pasta seems dry, you can add a splash of reserved pasta water.
- Divide the pasta into bowls and top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, if using.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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