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Simple yet tasty, this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Sausage cooks up quickly and is perfect for any night of the week: even your busiest ones!

Sometimes, on the busiest of nights, you want to just throw something in a pot and have a delicious meal on the table in under 30 minutes. That’s where a one pot or sheet pan meal can come in handy. You just toss everything together and either simmer or roast. They’re an easy and delicious go to meal when you just don’t really have the energy.

What is a one pot meal?

I gotta tell you, these questions seem a little self-explanatory. But may some people don’t really know or have never heard of them before. A one pot meal is a meal made in one pot. In the case of this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Sausage the pasta and sauce are simmered together until the pasta is tender.

In the case of a sheet pan meal, everything cooks on one sheet pan in the oven. Depending on what you’re making, you might have to add different ingredients at different times to make sure they all finish at the same time. For example, you potatoes will take longer than say Brussels sprouts to cook. So, you’d put the potatoes in first, then add the sprouts later. Sort of the same with the one pot meal, too, I guess.

How much liquid do you need for one pot pasta?

It’s sort of like the ratio of liquid to rice.  Except where rice is cups, pasta is ounces.  I mean, rice is one cup rice to 2 cups liquid.  Pasta is one ounce pasta to 2 ounces of liquid.  That means 8 ounces of pasta needs 16 ounces (or 2 cups) of liquid.  Liquid could be water, broth, marinara sauce; basically any kind of liquid that gets absorbed into the pasta.

Once you understand this, you can change up the pasta and liquid and make a myriad of one pot meals for your family. I’ve made quite a few one pot meals on my blog. I like this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta and the one pot patty melt pasta. It really does taste like a patty melt with all the burger goodness in there.

You must weigh the pasta to or else it doesn’t work out. It’s all about humidity. If you weigh the pasta in the winter, it might weigh less than in the summer. Because of humidity in the air. That’s why I weight the ingredients for my macaron. Humidity.

If you only use cup measurements, then the one pot might not come out delicious. If there’s more pasta, then the dish is dry. If there’s more water, then it’s too soup-y. Trust me. I speak from experience. I have done both. Neither of which are blog worthy. Just make sure you weigh the pasta.

What’s in One Pot Sun-Dried Pasta with Sausage?

Pasta. Yes, I know that’s a given. I used a rigatoni pasta in this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. I like how it holds up to the one pot process. There’s aromatics with onion, garlic, and fresh basil in there. And it’s not all sun-dried tomatoes. There’s a can of petite diced tomatoes. I did not drain them, so the liquid counted towards my ratio. Finally, there’s water and chicken broth to simmer the pasta in. And a little bit of cream is added at the end.

The cream also makes the sauce a nice light red color, too. It also helps cut through all the rich, sun-dried tomato goodness. Also, I used fat free half and half in this recipe. Do not let it boil. Add it in at the end. If it boils it will curdle. Yes, you can use regular half and half. We just try to keep our fat count down because of cholesterol issues.

I also used turkey sausage  in my One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. Feel free to use whatever sausage you want. I like the flavor in the turkey sausage over the beef sausage. Sometimes the beef just has too much fat in it for my taste. But it’s your pasta dish! Add whatever sausage you want in there. Or add chicken! Or maybe some shrimp. Really, it’s up to you to take this idea of a recipe and run with it.

There’s one ingredient not on the list but plays a huge part in the creaminess of the sauce in this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta. And that’s the starch from the pasta. I have talked about the importance of pasta water in making a pasta sauce. Especially with cream sauces and carbonara. The starch in the pasta water makes sauces silky smooth and helps the sauce stick to the pasta.

What does One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Sausage taste like?

Absolutely rich and delicious. This One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Sausage came out perfect. The addition of the cream at the end adds a little velvety-ness to the sauce and some richness that you don’t expect. Plus, it’s cream. Who can say no to cream? You again?? *sigh*

The pasta is tender and absorbs all that tomato-y goodness. I’d start checking it after simmering for about 17 to 20 minutes. You don’t want to overcook the pasta. And remember that it will continue to cook when the heat is off. Because the sauce is still hot. I know. I forget this sometimes, too.

The sausage adds a heartiness to the dish. And a bit of salty spice that cuts through the tomatoes, too. Some people think we must have meat in every meal or it’s not a filling meal. Whatever. You could totally skip the sausage, and this would still be a hearty meal.

The two kinds of tomatoes play off each other. The canned tomatoes have that fresh texture in there. The sun-dried tomatoes have that sharp bite and richness. I used sun-dried tomatoes in the pouch. Not the ones in oil. You can totally use the ones in oil. That’s up to you. I like the ones in the pouch because they also absorb the liquid and reconstitute in the pot.  They’re tangy bites of yum in this dish.

I garnished mine with a little of the basil.  And sprinkling of grated Parmesan would be nice, too.  But either way you serve this One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta it will be a delicious meal your family will love.  And you will love that there’s only one pot to clean up!  That’s the beauty of one pot meals.

All in One! One Pot or One Pan Meals

• Creamy Keto Chicken and Asparagus Skillet from Cheese Curd In Paradise
• One Pan Cheese Ravioli with Peas and Arugula from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• One Pan Ranch Chicken and Veggies from Jen Around the World
• One-Pot Sun Dried Tomato Pasta and Sausage from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Oven Poached Lemon Butter Cod from Art of Natural Living
• Oven Roasted Sausage and Beans from That Recipe
• Sheet Pan Italian Sausage with Gnocchi, Peppers, & Onions from The Spiffy Cookie
• Slow Cooker Bourbon Chicken from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Spinach and Paneer Orzo Pasta from Magical Ingredients

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