One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

This extra creamy tomato basil pasta is full of fresh flavor and takes just 30 minutes! It’s made with juicy cherry tomatoes, delicious fresh basil, a hint of sausage, cheese-filled ravioli, and a delicious Parmesan cream sauce. This is truly restaurant quality!

Ingredients For Tomato Basil Pasta

• Olive Oil
• Ground Sausage– Either hot or sweet is fine!
• Butter– The higher quality, the better. (You can even make your own!)
• Garlic– Mince it yourself for ultimate flavor
• Chicken Broth– Homemade is always  best!
• Half and Half– You can also use heavy cream for extra indulgence. I don’t recommend milk as that can curdle much more easily.
• Parmesan Cheese– High quality, finely grated yourself at home
• Cream Cheese– At room temperature to ensure it smoothly combines with the sauce
• Ravioli– Refrigerated and cheese-filled tastes best with this recipe.
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Fresh Basil
• Red Pepper Flakes– Optional, adds a little kick!
• Salt/Pepper– (You likely won’t need salt.)

How to Make Perfect Cream Sauce

• Refrain from adding cold ingredients into warm sauce when you prepare it. This includes the Parmesan cheese, half and half, and cream cheese. The consistency will be super creamy if you follow this instruction.
• Purchase a block of high-quality Parmesan cheese. Always shred the cheese yourself, it will taste and melt much better.
• Let the cheese come to room temperature before adding it to the warm (not hot!) base. 
• Add the cheese gradually as opposed to all at once.

Tips For This Recipe

• Cheese-filled ravioli is definitely my pasta of choice for this tomato basil pasta, refrigerated works best but frozen may also be used. Tortellini, Penne, and Linguine make great choices as well. Refer to package instructions for cooking times.
• A very large pan works best for this, you’ll need one with a lid. I always prefer to use a cast iron skillet.
• Ground turkey may be used instead of sausage. Browning the meat in the skillet first adds tremendous flavor to the pan that transfers into the sauce.
• I like to use slightly less than a pound of pasta for this recipe so that it’s extra saucy!
• 1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes may also be used instead of cherry tomatoes.

Storage

• Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and is best if used with 3 days. Cream-based sauces are best if eaten fresh but you can still microwave leftovers.
• This recipe doesn’t freeze too well as the dairy in the cream sauce separates and changes the consistency when reheated.

What To Serve With This Recipe:

Home made garlic bread

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

Servings:6

Prep Time 10 MINS

Cook Time 20 MINS

Total Time 30 MINS

Course MAIN COURSE

Cuisine AMERICAN, ITALIAN

Author Zeeshan

This extra creamy tomato basil pasta is full of fresh flavor and takes just 30 minutes! It’s made with juicy cherry tomatoes, delicious fresh basil, a hint of sausage, cheese-filled ravioli, and a delicious Parmesan cream sauce. This is truly restaurant quality!

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• ½ lb. ground sausage hot or sweet
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup half and half
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated and at room temp.
• 1 heaping Tablespoon cream cheese at room temp.
• 1 pound refrigerated ravioli* see notes
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/3 cup firmly packed basil leaves thinly sliced
• 1 pinch red pepper flakes optional
• Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add the sausage, cook and crumble until brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add the chicken broth and half and half. Increase heat and bring to a boil, then decrease heat to a simmer.
5. Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, whisking well to incorporate.
6. Whisk in the cream cheese until incorporated. It melts smoothly when at room temperature.
7. Add the ravioli and then the tomatoes. Stir gently to combine into the sauce.
8. Cover the pot, let it simmer according to time on package instructions. Mine took just 7 minutes.
9. Stir in the basil leaves and add the sausage back to the pan. Add red pepper flakes if desired.
10. Salt and pepper may be added, however it likely doesn’t need any additional salt.
11. Turn off the heat. The sauce will continue to thicken upon standing.
12. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*I usually add slightly less than a pound of ravioli so that my pasta is extra saucy!

Recipe Substitutions:

• Tortellini, Penne or linguini make good pasta choices as well, refer package instructions for cooking times.
• Ground turkey may be used instead of sausage. Browning the meat in the skillet first adds tremendous flavor to the pan that transfers into the sauce.
• 1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes may also be used instead of cherry.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories: 474, Fat: 28 g, Saturated Fat: 12 g, Cholesterol: 94 mg, Sodium: 983 mg, Potassium: 232 mg, Carbohydrates: 35 g, Fiber: 2 g, Sugar: 2 g, Protein: 21 g, Vitamin A: 497%, Vitamin C: 10%, Calcium: 138%, Iron: 9%