One Pot Brothy Tomato Pasta with Sausage and Beans (Instant Pot option)
Pasta, tomatoes, beans, and sausage come together for a comforting one pot dinner. Tomatoes, onion, and spices create a rich broth for the pasta and beans to cook in. You end up with a saucy liquid that isn’t quite brothy enough to be a soup but definitely brothier than your average bowl of pasta. Browned sausage gets stirred in at the end with a touch of parmesan to round it out.
P.S. I tested this on the stove and in the Instant Pot. Using the Instant Pot is much easier and more fool-proof because you don’t have to babysit it, so if you have one use it!
Ingredient highlight
Beans! are a great way to get in some protein along with a heavy dose of fiber, complex carbs, folic acid, iron, magnesium, and potassium to name a few. They are famous for making you fart (hehe) because of the specific sugars (oligosaccharides) they contain that we have trouble breaking down. Cooking your beans from scratch reduces the fart-causing substances!
Any easy way to sneak beans into recipes is to replace 1/2 of the meat with beans so you still get the meaty flavor but with a major fiber boost.
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 25 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lb Italian sausage (raw or bulk)*
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¼-½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2 medium tomatoes (about 12 oz), chopped (about 1 ½ cups)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 5-6 cups water**
- 8 oz cavatelli, orecchiette, or conchiglie or other short and cup-like pasta shape
- 1 (15 oz)can cannellini or other white bean, drained and rinsed***
- ¼ cup finely grated parmesan + more for topping
- Chopped parsley, for topping
- *Raw sausage is best. Buy it in bulk or as links and remove the casings. Easily sub sausage with protein of choice, like shrimp or any ground meat. If skipping sausage, add in 2 cloves garlic and an extra 1 tsp of oregano and fennel. You also may need to add more salt, to taste.
- **I used 6 cups of water. If you want it less “brothy” and more “saucy” start with 5 cups. You can always add more towards the end if the liquid is getting too low.
- ***If you want to skip the beans, use 1 lb of sausage.
Instructions
- In a large pot, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, break it up into chunks, and let cook undisturbed for 3-5 minutes or until nicely browned. Give the sausage a stir and continue to cook until cooked through, breaking into smaller pieces. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to transfer the sausage to a paper towel lined plate or bowl.
- To the pot over medium heat, add the onion and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onion has softened, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the spices, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Cook for 3-5 more minutes or until the tomatoes have broken down and softened, stirring often.
- Stir in the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in the pasta, beans, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-high to maintain a rapid simmer for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- You’ll know it’s done once the pasta is cooked all the way through and the liquid has reduced to a thicker brothy consistency. If the pasta isn’t cooked and the liquid is getting too low, just add ½ cup more boiling water and continue to cook (pasta cooking times vary a lot).
- Turn off the heat and stir in the parmesan and sausage. Allow the pasta to rest for 5-10 minutes to help it cool down and thicken the broth. Serve topped with more parmesan, herbs, black pepper, and a generous drizzle of good olive oil.
Instant Pot instructions:
- Follow the recipe using the “saute” function. When it’s time to add the water, etc…press “cancel” and reduce the water to 3 cups. Cook on high pressure for 4 minutes, then manually release the rest of the pressure. Stir in the sausage and cheese. Let it rest for a few minutes to let the sauce thicken and cool down a bit.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Chop 1 yellow onion
- Chop 2 medium tomatoes (about 1 ½ cups)
- Finely grate ¼ cup parmesan + more for serving
- Chop parsley, for topping
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, sub the sausage with another can of beans. Add in 2 cloves garlic and an extra 1 tsp of oregano and fennel. Add 1 tbsp of soy sauce in with the water.
- To make vegan, see above and skip the parmesan cheese or top with nutritional yeast or my pumpkin seed parmesan.
- To make gluten-free, use a GF pasta (Jovial Foods brand is the best). Just note that cook times may vary, so adjust the water and cook time accordingly.
- As mentioned in the notes, you can sub the sausage with any protein of choice, like shrimp or any ground meat. You’ll want to add in more of that sausage flavor – add in 2 cloves garlic and an extra 1 tsp of oregano and fennel. You also may need to add more salt, to taste.
- Sub onion with fennel, celery, bell pepper, and/or carrot.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- The pasta will soak up a lot of that broth/sauce as it sits in the fridge, so be warned it will be a bit mushy but still tasty. Reheat it in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each time. Or reheat in a covered pot on the stove over low heat. You can stir in a splash of water to loosen up the sauce. Serve it topped with plenty of the toppings and a squeeze of lemon to brighten it up.
- Turn it into a soup! Reheat it in a pot with an extra cup of water (add salt, to taste). Stir in some greens and top with a boiled or fried egg (and all the other toppings).
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