Delicious & Healthy Penne with Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes: Your Ultimate Weeknight Italian Comfort Food

Treat your family to an authentic homemade Italian meal that’s both hearty and incredibly healthy with this easy Penne with Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes dish. It’s the perfect blend of rich flavors and nourishing ingredients, making it ideal comfort food for any night of the week!

For many, including myself, pasta with a vibrant sauce is the epitome of comfort food. Growing up in an Italian family, pasta was a staple on our dinner table — a frequent and much-loved presence that I could never tire of. The sheer versatility of pasta, coupled with its ability to transform simple ingredients into a deeply satisfying meal, makes it an enduring favorite.

While my plate doesn’t feature pasta quite as often as it did during my childhood, I still make it a point to savor a delicious pasta dish at least once a week. This particular penne with sausage, spinach, and tomatoes recipe is a fantastic example of a pasta meal that effortlessly combines speed, health, and incredible flavor. It’s so straightforward, you can easily whip it up on a busy weeknight, yet it tastes like something you’ve lovingly prepared all afternoon. What makes it even better is its nutritional punch: loaded with nutrient-dense tomatoes and fresh spinach, and lightened up with savory turkey sausage, it’s truly full of good stuff for you and your family. This easy penne pasta recipe is perfect for anyone seeking a wholesome, quick pasta dinner.

Why This Penne with Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes Recipe Shines

This dish isn’t just about satisfying hunger; it’s about enjoying a balanced, flavorful meal that supports a healthy lifestyle. We’ve thoughtfully selected ingredients that offer both incredible taste and significant nutritional benefits:

Whole Wheat Penne: Opting for whole wheat pasta boosts fiber content, aids digestion, and provides sustained energy, preventing the sharp blood sugar spikes associated with refined grains. Its robust texture also holds up beautifully to the hearty sauce, making it a healthy Italian dinner choice.
Lean Italian Turkey Sausage: This ingredient is a game-changer. It delivers all the rich, savory Italian flavor you crave from traditional sausage but with significantly less fat. It’s a smart way to enjoy a classic taste and create a delicious turkey sausage pasta without compromising your health goals.
Vibrant Tomatoes: Both crushed and diced tomatoes form the foundation of our rich, robust sauce. Tomatoes are packed with lycopene, a powerful antioxidant, and contribute a natural sweetness and acidity that balances the entire dish. They are essential for a robust spinach tomato pasta.
Fresh Spinach: A true superfood, spinach wilts perfectly into the hot sauce, adding a beautiful pop of color and a wealth of vitamins (K, A, C), iron, and folate. It’s an easy way to sneak in extra greens without overwhelming the flavors.
Aromatics (Garlic & Onion): These humble ingredients are the unsung heroes of Italian cuisine, providing a fragrant and flavorful base that elevates the entire dish. Sautéing them properly sets the stage for a truly delicious experience.

Together, these components create a harmonious and satisfying meal that is both comforting and incredibly good for you. It’s a testament to how healthy eating can be truly enjoyable and never boring, making it an ideal weeknight pasta dish.

Fueling an Active Lifestyle: From the Kitchen to the Triathlon Course

It’s hard to believe, but I’m now deep into my training for an upcoming triathlon – entering my 9th week, in fact! The race is fast approaching, and the excitement is genuinely building. This journey has been made even more incredible by joining a team of amazing women at my local YMCA. Sharing this demanding yet rewarding training experience with them has been incredibly motivating and fun. We’ve been training six days a week (and I’m thrilled if I hit five!), incorporating challenging “bricks” on Saturday mornings. For those unfamiliar, bricks involve combining two legs of the training back-to-back. For instance, this past Saturday, we cycled 13 miles and then immediately transitioned into a 25-minute run.

The next few weeks promise even more intensity, as we’ll be adding open water swims and more rigorous workouts to our regimen. This active lifestyle demands proper nutrition, and that’s where nourishing meals like this Penne with Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes truly shine. Eating well isn’t just about feeling good; it’s about providing your body with the fuel it needs to perform, recover, and thrive. A hearty, healthy penne with sausage, spinach, and tomatoes meal provides essential carbohydrates for energy and lean protein for muscle repair, making it perfect for active individuals.

If you’ve ever considered trying a sprint triathlon, I wholeheartedly encourage you to find a training group. The camaraderie and shared motivation of training with others make for an unforgettable experience. Just as a supportive team makes training more enjoyable, preparing wholesome, delicious meals makes the journey to a healthier, more active life incredibly rewarding.

Tips for Perfecting Your Penne with Turkey Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes

Don’t Overcook the Pasta: The golden rule for any pasta dish! Aim for al dente, or even slightly undercooked, as the pasta will continue to cook when tossed with the hot sauce. This ensures perfect texture for your whole wheat penne recipe.
Brown the Sausage Properly: Take your time to crumble and brown the turkey sausage thoroughly. This develops deep, rich flavors that will infuse the entire sauce, contributing significantly to the homemade Italian meal experience.
Build Flavor with Aromatics: Don’t rush the cooking of the onions and garlic. Sautéing them until softened and fragrant is crucial for building a delicious foundation for your sauce.
Let the Sauce Simmer: After adding the tomatoes, allow the sauce to simmer for 5-8 minutes. This time allows the flavors to meld and deepen, creating a more cohesive and delicious end product for your comfort food pasta.
Fresh Spinach is Key: While frozen can work in a pinch, fresh spinach offers superior flavor, texture, and brightens the dish considerably. It wilts down quickly, so add it at the end.
Taste and Adjust: Always taste your sauce before combining it with the pasta. Adjust salt, pepper, or add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a subtle kick if desired. You can also add a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce becomes too thick.

Now, go ahead and enjoy your pasta! It’s a meal that truly nourishes both body and soul, proving that a quick pasta dinner can also be incredibly nutritious and flavorful.

Print Recipe

Penne with Turkey Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes Recipe

Yield: Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

1/2 lb (about 225g) whole wheat penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3-4 links (approx. 12-16 oz or 340-450g) lean Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
1 large can (28 oz / 794g) crushed tomatoes
1 small can (14.5 oz / 411g) Italian diced tomatoes
1/2 bag (approx. 5 oz / 140g) fresh spinach leaves
Parmesan cheese, freshly grated, for serving
Red pepper flakes, for serving (optional, for a kick)

Directions:

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Add the whole wheat penne pasta and cook according to package directions, aiming for al dente. It’s crucial to slightly undercook the pasta by about 1-2 minutes from the package instructions, as it will finish cooking in the hot sauce. Drain well, reserving about 1/2 cup of pasta water just in case your sauce needs thinning.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare your sauce. In a large, deep sauté pan or Dutch oven, drizzle two teaspoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3-5 minutes until it begins to soften and become translucent. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
Add the turkey sausage (casings removed) to the pan with the onions and garlic. Break it up with a spoon as it cooks. Sauté for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is thoroughly cooked through and nicely browned.
Pour in both the large can of crushed tomatoes and the small can of Italian diced tomatoes. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and let it cook for 5-8 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld beautifully. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Add the fresh spinach leaves to the sauce. Stir gently until the spinach completely wilts into the sauce, which should only take 1-2 minutes.
Finally, add the slightly undercooked, drained penne pasta directly into the sauce. Toss everything together vigorously to ensure the pasta is thoroughly coated with the delicious sauce. Cook for another 1-2 minutes on low heat, allowing the pasta to absorb the sauce and finish cooking to perfect al dente.
Serve immediately in warm bowls. Garnish generously with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, if you enjoy a little heat. Enjoy your hearty, healthy, and incredibly flavorful homemade Italian meal!

Follow AggiesKitchen on Instagram and show us what delicious recipes you are making from the blog! Use the hashtag #aggieskitchen – I’d love to see what culinary creations you’re cooking up and share them with our community!