Mediterranean Pasta with Chicken Sausage

Looking for an easy weeknight dinner that's packed with flavor? This Mediterranean pasta with chicken sausage, broccoli, olives, and feta is an easy-to-make meal that the whole family will love!

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🗒 Ingredients
• 👩‍🍳 How to make Mediterranean pasta with chicken sausage
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🥘 More easy dinner recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

Sometimes the simplest dinners are the best dinners. Especially when you're tired and feeling uninspired and just want to eat something delicious without having to think about it too much.

But just because pasta is easy to make and doesn't require a ton of creativity, doesn't mean it has to be boring. Pasta is like a blank slate and a few simple ingredients added can make all the difference.

If you want to get dinner on the table quickly tonight, but also want a deliciously satisfying meal, this recipe for Mediterranean pasta with chicken sausage and broccoli is perfect for you!

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

A few simple ingredients take a simple penne pasta from "meh" to "yum!!" while adding in some protein and vitamins and nutrients. Aside from a pot for cooking the pasta in, this dish can be made in just one skillet (just make sure you're using a very large skillet so you can ultimately fit all the ingredients).

That means not only can you make this dinner super quickly, but you also won't have a lot of dishes to do when you're done enjoying it.

It's the kind of easy dinner your whole family will enjoy and it's easy to customize to your family's tastes and preferences.

🗒 Ingredients

The ingredients for this pasta dish are pretty simple and it's easy to make swaps based on what you have on hand.

Here's everything you need (be sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Penne pasta: or the pasta shape of your choice
• Olive oil
• Chicken sausage links
• Broccoli
• Garlic
• Kalamata olives
• Feta cheese
• Lemon juice
• Salt & pepper
• Red pepper flakes

👩‍🍳 How to make Mediterranean pasta with chicken sausage

Start by boiling your pasta in a large pot of salted water and then draining it, making sure to reserve about ⅓ cup of the pasta water.

While the pasta is cooking, add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add sliced chicken sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, until sausage is cooked through and browning around edges. Remove from skillet to separate bowl or plate and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to skillet, along with broccoli and garlic. Cook until broccoli is bright green, about 5 minutes.

Now you'll add everything to the skillet, including the already cooked chicken sausage and sliced olives...

...cooked pasta, feta, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add in half the reserved pasta water and toss everything together over low heat.

If pasta is still looking a bit dry, add remaining pasta water.

Cook just until heated through.

And serve! Did you see how easy that was??

If I'm going to have pasta for dinner (and trust me, I'm GOING TO have pasta for dinner... a lot!), I need it to be easy. And I don't want to dirty a lot of dishes while doing it.

This Mediterranean pasta dish is packed with so much goodness. I love that it involves healthy broccoli, but also salty olives and feta and flavorful protein-packed chicken sausage. So many of my favorite ingredients are in this dish.

🎉 Variations on recipe

That said, if you or someone in your family doesn't care for one or more of the ingredients in this dish, it's easy to sub anything out! Or you can add more of your favorite ingredients.

Here are some ideas for twists on the broccoli and sausage pasta:

• You can use any flavor of chicken sausage that you want. I generally use garlic or sun-dried tomato, but you can put a different spin on this dish with buffalo chicken or jalapeño.

• If you don't like chicken sausage, you can use pork or turkey sausage instead.

• To make this a vegetarian dish that still has protein in it, you can substitute the sausage for lentils or chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, or vegetarian sausage. You can also use a high-protein pasta.

• If you don't like or don't have feta cheese, you can use ricotta, goat cheese, cotija, queso blanco, or the cheese of your choice. You can also add parmesan to the pasta.

• In place of or in addition to the broccoli, you can use asparagus, brussels sprouts, spinach, kale, cauliflower, broccolini, zucchini, or green beans. There are SO many vegetables that would be delicious in this sausage pasta dish.

• If you don't like kalamata olives, you can leave them out (or serve them on the side for those who do like them!). You can also substitute them for capers if you still want that yummy salty flavor.

• Feel free to add additional Mediterranean pasta appropriate ingredients, like sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts.

Oh, and it's also my civic responsibility to let you know that this Mediterranean pasta is absolutely amazing with a glass of white wine on the side.

You totally deserve it after working over the hot stove to make this (shhh we don't have to tell anyone how easy it was!).

🥘 More easy dinner recipes

If you're looking for more weeknight meals that will make your family happy and make your leave easier, check out more of my favorite recipes:

See more Easy Dinner Recipes →

If you're looking specifically for more easy pasta dishes, check out my Baked Lemon Ricotta Pasta, Pasta with Sausage, Basil, and Mustard, and Pasta Puttanesca with Sausage.

I also can't wait to make this Garlic Butter Pasta from Little Sunny Kitchen!

This Mediterranean broccoli and sausage pasta dish is on regular rotation at my house and I hope it becomes one of your family favorites, too!

What's your favorite way to jazz up a simple pasta dish?

📖 Recipe