Chicken Mushroom Spinach Pasta
Creamy chicken mushroom pasta with chicken sausage, mushrooms, spinach, and whole wheat pasta. Tossed in the most delicious cream sauce made with milk and chicken broth. This hearty meal is so cozy and easy to make!
If you love cozy pasta meals just like we do, this Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spinach is a must (plus it’s ready in 20 minutes!) or try Italian Zucchini Spaghetti Bake. Another family approved meal.
Cozy fall/winter meals are the best. Especially ones that you can whip up on a busy weeknight with hearty and straightforward ingredients. This chicken mushroom spinach pasta is exactly that!
Made with chicken Italian sausage, mushrooms, spinach, and whole wheat pasta. I love bow-tie pasta but any type of short-cut pasta works.
The star of the recipe just might be the cream sauce. It’s one of the best!
Lightened up with whole milk and chicken broth and flavored with delicious store-bought basil pesto. It’s insanely flavorful and pairs amazingly with the rest of the ingredients.
Ingredients
- Olive oil and butter
- Italian chicken sausage
- Shallots
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Dried oregano
- All-purpose flour
- Milk
- Chicken broth
- Basil pesto
- Spinach
- Bow-tie pasta
How to Make Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta
Step 1: Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse.
Step 2: While the pasta is cooking, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Deep skillet or a sauté pan works the best.
Add sausage and cook until browned on the outside, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5-7 minutes. No need to fully cook the sausage. Remove the sausage to a plate.
Step 3: To the same skillet, add the butter and remaining olive oil. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms, shallots, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender, 3-5 minutes.
Step 4: Add garlic and oregano and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
Step 5: Add the milk, broth, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the sausage and cook until the sausage is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 6: Stir in pesto and then the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1-2 minutes. Toss with cooked pasta. If desired, serve garnished with fresh parsley or basil.
What to Serve with Creamy Chicken Spinach Pasta
My personal favorite pasta combo is a crisp salad with leafy greens and plenty of fresh veggies. But honestly, any type of fresh salad will work. Here are some of our favorites:
- Apple Walnut Salad – crazy easy fall salad!
- Avocado Caesar Salad – for a lighter salad, omit the croutons.
- Chopped Wedge Salad – love this take on a traditional wedge salad.
- House Salad – our go-to family salad that never disappoints.
Chicken Mushroom Spinach Pasta
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: Main
- Method: Pan Fry
- Cuisine: American
Description
Creamy chicken mushroom pasta with chicken sausage, mushrooms, spinach, and whole wheat pasta. This hearty meal is so cozy and easy to make!
Ingredients
- 2 cups dry whole wheat bow-tie pasta
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 12–14 oz. mild Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 12 oz. cremini or white mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup minced shallots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup chicken broth, homemade or store bought
- 2 Tbsp. basil pesto, homemade or store bought
- 2 oz. fresh baby spinach, about 2 cups
- Fresh chopped parsley or basil, optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside. Do not rinse.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add sausage and cook until browned on the outside, breaking up the meat as you go, about 5-7 minutes. Remove the sausage from the skillet to a plate.
- Add the butter and remaining olive oil to the skillet. When the oil shimmers, add the mushrooms, shallots, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook undisturbed for 5 minutes. Stir and continue cooking until the mushrooms are tender, 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and oregano and cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the milk, broth, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the sausage and cook until the sausage is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in pesto and then the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1-2 minutes.
- Toss with cooked pasta. If desired, serve garnished with fresh parsley or basil.
Notes
- Pasta: I like whole wheat bow-tie pasta for this recipe but any short-cut pasta will work.
- Sausage: You can use Italian chicken or turkey sausage. Or even a blend. Just make sure to remove the sausage from the casing if not using bulk.
- Cooking Mushrooms: To ensure the mushrooms brown properly, make sure your skillet is big enough to fit the mushrooms without overcrowding too much. Otherwise cook the mushrooms in batches. I recommend a deep skillet or a saute pan.
- Leftovers: Leftover chicken mushroom pasta stored in an airtight container will last for 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Warm up the pasta on the stovetop with little water, chicken broth, or even white wine. Simply add cold pasta to a skillet with liquid of choice and heat until warmed through.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 397
- Sugar: 5.1 g
- Sodium: 424.7 mg
- Fat: 22.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.4 g
- Protein: 19.5 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
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Hi! I'm Katya -- a former corporate paralegal turned full-time recipe developer and blogger behind Little Broken. Here you'll find family-friendly and seasonal recipes made from real ingredients.
I made this for me and my husband! Absolutely amazing! It was very flavor full! I had some zucchini sitting around, so I added some zucchini. Turned out amazing. There was no leftovers because we couldn’t get enough!
Mmm, it looks incredibly delicious and appetizing! I’m going to start cooking this amazingly mouth-watering dish as soon as I finish writing this comment. I think that this is not a coincidence, because now I have pasta of exactly this shape! And I am also a real pasta fan. Now I can only imagine this magical smell of chicken spinach pasta. By the way, few people like spinach, but in this recipe, I’m sure it will taste amazing. Thank you very much for your blog and detailed creative recipes!