It can be tricky to find an easy healthy meal prep recipe that you will actually want to eat. For me, this is the biggest obstacle to meal prepping! When lunchtime rolls around, will I be jealous of others’ lunches and tempted to get takeout too? I’m sure I am not alone! And I will admit this has happened once or twice. But whenever I make this recipe, I am never disappointed. In fact, I am excited about my tasty and healthy packed lunch! And, it is not very time-consuming or costly to make. This makes it a great weeknight dinner recipe as well. Overall, this is the most simple chicken sausage pasta recipe that is so delicious.
A Customizable + Balanced Pasta Dish
You will notice that I do not specify a specific type of chicken sausage in the ingredients list. And that is because everyone has different flavor and brand preferences! For this meal prep, I used Premio Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage removed from its casing. But, I switch it up all the time to keep things interesting. Sometimes, I use Al Fresco Sweet Apple Chicken Sausage if I am looking for a little extra sweetness. If I’m feeling like something spicy, I will use jalapeno-flavored or hot chicken sausage. Adjust the ingredients to your taste buds and it will turn out great!
Another thing to note is that this recipe is all about balance – just like our wellness journeys! For example, you will see that I use frozen chopped spinach and jarred sauce. Sure, it would probably be better to use fresh spinach and a homemade red sauce. However, this would take a lot more time and would require a run to the grocery store for fresh ingredients. Sometimes on a Sunday, you just need to use what you have laying around.
This is also where the chopped onion comes into play. Most jarred sauces already include onion, but adding a little bit of fresh onion will provide that fresh flavor to the whole dish. This is also a healthier take on a regular pasta dish by using protein pasta instead of regular pasta. I will never suggest elimination entirely but rather balance. For example, use protein pasta instead of normal pasta. Unless a medical issue is involved with dietary restrictions, I believe it is the small and steady changes that will reflect a big difference.
Chicken Sausage Pasta For Meal Prep or Dinner
When doing meal preps, I like to primarily focus on the days I go into the office. On a hybrid schedule, I make sure to always meal prep 3 lunches to take for my in-office days. For this reason, this recipe will serve 3. If you prefer to meal prep all 5 days of the week or make this for a weeknight family dinner, try adding double the amount of chicken sausage and increasing the spinach to 2 cups for a protein boost and increased quantity of food. You may need to add a little extra sauce for this as well.
Serves: 3
Chicken Sausage Pasta Ingredients:
- 1 package of chicken sausage (around 12oz)
- 1 box Barilla Protein+ Rotini Pasta (14.5oz)
- 1 1/2 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1/4 cup chopped white onion
- 2 cups of your preferred jarred red sauce or homemade sauce
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Parsley, salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
Start by filling a pan with water and bringing it to a boil for your protein pasta. Salt the water to taste, and once it is at a full boil, add your pasta and stir. Set a timer for the appropriate time and stir occasionally while it cooks. When completed, strain and drizzle lightly with olive oil before mixing so it doesn’t stick.
Between heating your pasta water and cooking your pasta, you can get started on the chicken sausages for your chicken sausage pasta. Slice up each chicken sausage into thin slices. I like to slice about 1/4″ thick so that they can become slightly crisp. If the chicken sausages are in a casing, use a knife to carefully open up the casing and remove it.
Then, add your 2 tbsp. of olive oil and your 1/4 cup chopped white onion into a saute pan. Coat the onions in the olive oil and turn on medium heat. Saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are slightly translucent while stirring occasionally. Then, add the chicken sausages into the pan. Let them brown for 3-4 minutes, and then flip them over to brown the other side.
After that, add the thawed chopped spinach and mix it with the chicken sausages and onions. It may seem like a lot of spinach at first, but the pasta will change that! Finally, mix in your pasta and red sauce. Sprinkle with parsley on top and season with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!