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Creamy, cheesy, spicy and savory, this One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta meal has got it all!
This cheesy smoked sausage pasta skillet recipe is one of our favorite One Pot Meals. Savory smoked sausage, creamy melted cheese, fragrant garlic, onions, and tomatoes all come together in a one skillet meal that is sure to please everyone in the family.
Love meals with smoked sausage? Be sure to try our Instant Pot Jambalaya with Shrimp and Sausage or Smoked Sausage and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner.
Pin this recipe for later!Table of Contents
Cheesy Sausage Pasta Recipe
One Pot Meals are the best for busy families like mine because they are simple, come together in a flash and require minimal equipment and clean up. Some of our favorite one pot meals are One Pot Chicken Spaghetti, One Pot Creamy Chicken and Noodles and this One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta.
The best part is it takes only about 20 minutes from start to finish. These one pot meals have become my go-to weeknight dinners. Pair with a garden salad and you’re good to go!
I love smoked sausage, and it was perfectly paired with the other flavors in this recipe.
Ingredients for Smoked Sausage Pasta
- Smoked Turkey Sausage – Any smoked sausage will work, like beef or pork or a kielbasa.
- Diced Onion – To add flavor with the sausage.
- Minced Garlic – Fresh garlic is best, but you can also use jarred minced garlic.
- Chicken Broth – I always buy the low sodium broth so I can control the salt.
- Rotel – Tomatoes with green chiles to add some heat. You can use just regular tomatoes if you want to keep it mild and more kid friendly.
- Heavy Cream – For the sauce.
- Small Pasta – Like rotini, penne, or farfalle.
- Cheddar-Jack Cheese – I like to use the mixture of jack and cheddar, but either will work.
- Green Onions – for garnish.
How to Make One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- The steps for this recipe are quick and easy so you can bring it to your dinner table fast. Saute your Hillshire Farm Smoked Turkey Sausage (or any brand will do) with some onion and garlic, then add a can of Rotel diced tomatoes, pasta, cream, chicken broth, and seasons. It only takes about 15 minutes to cook – add some cheese and you’re good to go!
- Cook onions, garlic and smoked sausage in a large, deep saute pan and cook until lightly browned.
- Add chicken broth, Rotel tomatoes (or plain tomatoes, with or without chiles is your call), milk, pasta, and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover it with the lid and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the sauce is thickened and the pasta is tender.
- Turn off the heat and stir in ½ cup of sharp cheddar cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. Feel free to use your favorite melty cheese, like Mozzarella or Jack. Pepper Jack would add even more heat so that’s another great option.
FAQs
Reheating pasta with a cheesy sauce in the microwave can be tricky. Add a couple of splashes of milk or cream per serving, then heat at 50% power for several minutes, stirring at one minute intervals. This will keep the sauce nice and creamy. There’s nothing worse than a cheese sauce that has become curdled and separated. If your pasta was not stored with a sauce, drizzle on a little olive oil before heating.
This type of sausage has been smoked, which means it’s fully cooked in the process. There is no need to cook it again, but you may want to heat it up.
Smoked sausage is already fully cooked, so you aren’t really cooking it, but warming it up. The best way to do this is in a skillet so you can get some char and caramelization on the sides of the sausage. It adds a ton of flavor and really brings out the juiciness of the smoked sausage.
How To Serve and Variations
We love to serve this sausage pasta with a copycat Olive Garden Salad and maybe some fresh bread on the side.
You could add your favorite veggies to the mix, like mushrooms, zucchini, bell peppers, or broccoli. Just saute with the onions and let cook fully with the pasta and sausage.
Bring the heat even more by adding some red pepper flakes. Or, use a spicy andouille sausage instead.
Storage and Reheating
Storage – Place leftovers in an airtight container and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.
Freezing – You can freeze this dish, but the cream might break down upon reheating so I don’t really recommend it.
Reheating – Thaw first if frozen. Reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring each time, until hot.
Helpful Tips
- If there is still a lot of thin liquid, you can spoon some of that out before adding the cheese. You do need some liquid to create the sauce though, so keep that in mind.
- Green onions are a great garnish, but you could also use fresh parsley.
- Feel free to use whatever pastas you might have on hand, and don’t be afraid to mix and match.
- For an extra savory, salty component, add some bacon.
More Smoked Sausage Recipes
- Sausage & Apple Sheet Pan Dinner
- One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Sausage
- White Bean, Kale & Sausage Soup
- Smoked Sausage and Potatoes Hash
- Smoked Sausage and Potato Sheet Pan Dinner
One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound Smoked Turkey Sausage sliced
- 1 cup diced onion about 1 medium onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 2-3 fresh cloves
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 10-ounce can diced tomatoes (with or without chiles) (like rotel)
- 1/2 cup milk or heavy cream
- 8 ounces dry pasta like rotini, penne or farfalle
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar-Jack cheese
- 1/3 cup sliced scallions for garnish
Instructions
- Add olive oil to a 5 quart saute pan over medium high heat. Add onions and sausage and cook until lightly browned. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add chicken broth, tomatoes (undrained), milk, pasta, and seasonings. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 15 minutes, or until pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Turn off the heat and stir in ½ cup of cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover for about five minutes to allow cheese to melt. Top with sliced scallions and serve. (You could also broil for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese).
Notes
Nutrition
*Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Simple Recipes Cookbook. For a complete list of recipes on the site, be sure to go here.
I love cheesy sausage dishes! So much flavor. And yours looks pretty, too!
We loved it at my house.
Thanks so much for sharing this yummy recipe! I loved it! And my husband and kids couldn’t get enough of it! I shared this recipe on my blog, thanks again! http://brittsapron.blogspot.com/2013/12/one-pot-cheesy-sausage-pasta.html
So amazing! I could eat this for days!
I just made this an hour ago, and it tasted ah-mazing!! Thank you for posting this recipe! Definitely will be making this dish again! 🙂
So, I tried this meal tonight, with great success. I must say, I made a few alterations. I added more cream, more cheese, and a bit of accent, and I cooked it a bit longer. The kids loved it!! Thanks!!
With my usually 60+ hour work week and my boyfriend going to school full time and working nights full time, I like delicious, easy, and quick recipes for the weeknights. Leftovers are always appreciated as well. This dish fit the bill perfectly! Thank you.
Ok, so I never comment on recipes that I try, even if I liked it, but: THIS. WAS. AMAZING. I left out the onions (hubby or I don’t like them), used Rotel instead of plain tomatoes and added mushrooms and frozen peas. IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!!! Thanks for the inspiration! I will definitely be playing around with this recipe A LOT! 🙂 🙂
I just made this tonight, and it was so good I had to immediately respond. Hands down this is the best pasta dish I have ever made, and it’s super easy! Tastes like I went out to eat. One pot makes cleanup easier too. Thanks for the recipe. It will be a frequent quick fix on busy weeknights.
So great! Thanks for coming back and letting me know. 🙂
Tried this to night, it was awesome. Didn’t have all the ingredients so I substituted. I used chicken sausage instead of turkey and I used Mozzarella instead of chedder jack. This was super simple and the family loved it. Thank You for sharing!
This is delish!! Used spicy linguisa sausage also added a splash of red wine..yum
Is it a big difference if I use milk vs heavy cream?
I made a this a couple of days ago using the From Valerie’s Kitchen recipe. It was a HUGE hit and soooo good! I added it to my own recipe book and menu planning.
This looks great! I have 3 adult males, myself and an 8 year old to feed. Approximately how much does your recipe make?
You really should’ve given credit to the original creator of this dish! I think it’s a bit wrong to claim it as your own.
http://www.kevinandamanda.com/recipes/dinner/spicy-sausage-pasta.html
Actually, Amanda didn’t create the dish, which she states in her post. It’s a recipe from a well known cookbook. Also, I did change a couple elements of the recipe.
I really hate when I read blogs and everyone is complaining that the blogger didn’t give credit to the “original” creator. First of all, recipes are not trademarked. Second of all, it is the year 2013 and you can find one million variations of every recipe out there on the internet. And, third…. WHO CARES. Stop trying to bring people down and get over yourself. If you are so worried about it, then stop using the internet to find FREE recipes and BUY the cookbooks from the “original” creator.
You said exactly the thing I’ve been thinking every single time I see someone complaining about not giving props to the “original” creator and whats more . . . You said it perfectly. When I used recipiezaar there was one certain person who went around so called “calling people out” on where the recipe actually came from. It was really irritating and made that person look like a petty know-it-all. If I were to post a recipe and someone copied it and posted it I would feel honored that they liked it enough to share. That is what food and cooking is all about to me sharing what makes me happy and well fed!
none of your business….spot on!! I think some people just use the internet to find faults in others so they don’t have to deal with their own faults.
Actually Jamie, perhaps before running off at the mouth you should read the fine print…*Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Simple Recipes Cookbook. I like to give credit to where I got the recipe from but chances are in this day and age no recipe is exactly original to any one author. Now that I’ve got that off my chest can you tell me Kristin, are the tomatoes drained. Thank you very much…especially taking the time to share a wonderful recipe with us.
His dish was really fast and easy. Made only one change because I dint have a can of diced tomatoes. So I add a can of rotel diced tomatoes and green chillies. Added a great kick to the pepper jack cheese
I made this tonight for my son – he loved it! Very good flavor and quick to get to the table! Thanks for the recipe.
Pinning this one, too! You can’t go wrong with pasta, cheese, and sausage. Looks so good!
Right?? Sausage and cheese…mmmmm!
YUMMY! This looks delicious and perfect for this cold weather!
It’s a perfect comfort food!
Im all about 1 pot meals! Can’t wait to give it a try. Would love for you to come over and link up to my first linky party http://mommyondemand.com/create-bake-1-2/