Chicken Sausage Cavatappi Bolognese
with Zucchini & Parmesan
- Wheat
- Milk
A bowl of pasta never fails to satisfy—it’s quick, carby, comforting, and our total weeknight go-to. When you add sweet Italian chicken sausage, tender bites of zucchini, and Parmesan to the equation, you’ve reached another level of deliciousness entirely. Ready to enjoy bite after bite of twisty cavatappi pasta cloaked in this creamy, flavor-boosted Bolognese? We thought so.
Ingredients
1 unit
Yellow Onion
1 unit
Zucchini
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
9 ounce
Italian Chicken Sausage Mix
1.5 ounce
Tomato Paste
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
2 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick half-moons. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion.
• Toss zucchini on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, half the Italian Seasoning (you’ll use the rest later), and a pinch of salt and pepper. • Roast on top rack, tossing halfway through, until browned and tender, 14-16 minutes. • Tent with foil to keep warm.
• Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1½ cups pasta cooking water (2 cups for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5-6 minutes. • Add sausage* and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, 3-4 minutes (it’ll finish cooking in the next step).
• Add tomato paste and remaining Italian Seasoning to pan. Cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 1 minute. • Stir in stock concentrate, 1 cup reserved pasta cooking water (1½ cups for 4 servings), and a big pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer; cook until sauce has slightly thickened and sausage is cooked through, 2-3 minutes. • Reduce heat to medium low.
• Stir drained cavatappi, roasted zucchini, sour cream, and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) into pan until thoroughly combined. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce. • Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the savory, flavorful dish; some found it reminiscent of an elevated hamburger helper 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Customers appreciated how quick and easy this meal was to prepare, with clear instructions.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more zucchini, sauce, and seasoning; some preferred ground sausage over links for easier cooking.
- Portions: Generous servings provided ample leftovers for many, though some wanted more protein and vegetables.
- Texture: A few suggested adding a crunchy element or cooking the zucchini less to avoid mushiness.
Reviews from our home cooks
The chicken sausage cavatappi bolognese was absolutely delicious! The chicken sausage was tasty and was mildly spicy enough to give the dish some kick. I prepared a meal for 4 and it was more than enough. I put some away for two people to have leftovers the next day. I would definitely recommend this dish.
We love this cavatappi meal! Plus it takes us way less than 30 minutes- everything is ready in the time it takes to boil water and cook noodles. We cook the zucchini in the same large pan as the sausage to save on time and cut out the need to heat the oven.
OMG, the chicken sausage cavatappi bolognese was terrific! Great flavor, not too hard to make, and even a little bit of leftovers that our teenage daughter gobbled down after work.
One of our favorites so far! Loved the spicy chicken sausage and cavatappi. I accidentally dropped the whole very hot pan of roasted zucchini on the floor as I took it out of the oven. So I quickly just used another and steamed it in the microwave so we could eat right away. I bet the dish would have been even better with the roasted one!
Delicious! We love the chicken sausage! Healthier and oh so tasty. The zucchini was so good...would love to see two of them in recipe. I even added a little leftover jalapeños I had from another dinner. Kicked it up a notch!
Chicken sausage makes this dish. It was very tasty even if it did require a sheet pan, a pot for the noodles and a sauce pan for the sauce. I also like the Cavatappi noodles that soak up all that wonderful sauce.
Another shocker! I never knew that chicken sausage existed, much less that both I and my picky husband would enjoy it so much. I've never made a Bolognese successfully before. Thanks for the great recipe and the little tips that made the dish outstanding.
The bolognese sauce was very good. I added more veggies that I had in my fridge to the zucchini, which made it a better proportion to all the pasta. My least favorite of the dish was the ground chicken sausage. A little too much pepper in it. Even my 8 year old said it was too spicy, and she's a good eater. It would've had five stars with ground pork sausage or beef.
Generous portions. Love the option of chicken sausage now. That's even hard to find with our regular grocery delivery. I think you could streamline the cooking instructions a little. We didn't find it necessary to pre roast the zucchini, just threw it in the skillet just before adding the sauce ingredients. We did cook this and reheat it so it was a little dry but not too bad. Sauce needed a more presence tomato flavor. Maybe the addition of crushed tomatoes?
The flavoring of the chicken sausage made this dish! Loved the Cavatappi noodles and wished more dishes had this option as my 2 year old thought they were fun and delicious!
