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Weeknight spaghetti with chicken sausage is the perfect quick dinner to end a busy workday. And, today was one of those days: back-to-back meetings, with barely a break to fill my water glass and grab lunch.
By the time I walked in the door, it was nearly six o’clock, and the last thing I felt like doing was throwing together a laborious dinner — no matter how good it would have tasted.
Plus, due to circumstances that are completely my fault, I’m also exhausted by dinnertime, which doesn’t help foster inspiration in the kitchen.
(Read: I’m currently binge-watching Sons of Anarchy every night until midnight — I’m midway through season six, so I’m almost done! What can I say, I’m a sucker for a good TV series.)
It’s nights like these where I totally appreciate a dinner that’s ready in less than twenty minutes.
Plus, I can basically eat pasta any day of the week (or every day of the week), so give me a quick meal with a favorite food, and I’m all, “YAAAAASSssssss.”
You know?
The beauty of this meal is, not only is it quick and delicious for dinner, it also reheats wonderfully.
AND, if you don’t have chicken sausage, you can substitute seared shrimp (I always have frozen raw shrimp in the freezer, and they thaw in less than five minutes), or lots of mushrooms.
Yum!
Weeknight Spaghetti With Chicken Sausage
Weeknight spaghetti with chicken sausage: perfect quick dinner after a busy workday!
Ingredients
- 16-oz dried spaghetti
- 1 package fully cooked chicken sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 1/3 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 teaspoon salt + 3 tablespoons
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 3 green onions, diced
- Parmesan for garnish
Instructions
- Set a large pot of water to boil over high heat and add 3 tablespoons of salt. Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet over medium heat with the olive oil.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the spaghetti and cook it until it's al dente (about 9 minutes). Reserve the 1/3 cup pasta water, and then drain the spaghetti.
- Meanwhile, add the chicken sausage to the warmed skillet, and cook them for 2 minutes per side until they're golden brown. Remove them to a paper towel to rest.
- Pour the marinara, stock, and reserved pasta into the skillet. Add the salt and half the basil and onions. Bring the sauce to a light boil, then slice the sausages and add them in along with the spaghetti. Toss the everything together until it's completely coated.
- Sprinkle the remaining basil and green onions on top, and serve the spaghetti with chicken sausage with Parmasan.
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If I make this with the seared shrimp instead of the chicken sausage, how long do I sear the shrimp and at what temp? Thanks!
Hi Tracy! I heat a skillet to medium-high and drizzle olive oil in it. Then, I peel the raw shrimp (tails off, too), and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Once the skillet is hot, I add the shrimp and let them sear for 2 minutes. Flip them, then let them sear for another two minutes. Then, done! This is with large or extra large shrimp. Jumbo shrimp or tiger shrimp might be 3 minutes per side — but you want to be careful not to overcook them. Chewy overcooked shrimp are no good. 😉 Good luck!
Thanks so much!
You’re welcome!
Made this tonight with some frozen chicken poblano and cheese sausage. It wasn’t precooked, so I took it out of the casings and went from there. The family loved it! Thank you!
Glad to hear it, Angie!
Can i replace marinara with regular spaghetti sauce if I have none? This recipe looks wonderful!
Sure! It’s super flexible. Enjoy!
Try substituting some dilute pesto for the marina… fantastic.
I’ll have to try that!