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Creamy, cheesy, spicy and savory, this One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta meal has got it all!

Pan filled with Pasta and Sausage

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.

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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 SpaghettiOne 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.

sausage, butterfly pasta, cheese sauce and tomatoes

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.

collage of images showing how to make cheesy sausage pasta
  • 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. 
smoked sausage and pasta in a creamy cheesy sauace

FAQs

What is the best way to reheat pasta? 

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.

Does Smoked Sausage need to be cooked? 

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. 

What is the best way to cook smoked sausage? 

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 mushroomszucchini, 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. 
One Pan Cheesy Sausage Pasta recipe has smoked sausage and pasta in a spicy, creamy sauce cooked in one pan for a quick weeknight meal.

More Smoked Sausage Recipes

Recipe
Pan filled with Pasta and Sausage

One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet

4.81 from 185 votes
One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta recipe has smoked sausage and pasta in a spicy, creamy sauce that’s all cooked in one pan for a quick weeknight meal.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 5 servings

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

This recipe will serve 4-6 people.
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. 
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.

Nutrition

Calories: 526kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 27gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 116mgSodium: 1350mgPotassium: 277mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 590IUVitamin C: 10.7mgCalcium: 251mgIron: 2mg
Keyword sausage pasta

*Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Simple Recipes Cookbook. For a complete list of recipes on the site, be sure to go here.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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Comments

  1. I doubled the recipe for a church potluck and used one link of Eckrich smoked Sausage and one link of their jalapeño and cheese sausage. It wasn’t too hot, actually no heat at all from the sausage, and it all gave it great flavor. I got many compliments on this dish. I transfered it to a Pam sprayed crockpot and kept on warm heat. Thanks for the recipe.

  2. This was delicious! I used rotel instead to give it a little kick plus some chopped bacon and a couple different cheeses…perfect! Thanks for sharing!!

  3. I am sooooo making this tonight. It looks amazing. I am going to add a half of a Green pepper, only because I need to use it be for it ruins. I am sure it will still taste great.

  4. Just made this recipe – soo amazing! It’s definitely being added in the meal rotation! I didn’t have any issue with it being too liquidy as others seem to have and I even used a larger can of tomatoes undrained (14 1/2 oz). Maybe it depends on the type of pasta? I used bowties like shown above and it turned out perfect!

  5. So delicious! My family loved it. I added some ground red chili to mine. Yum. maybe some chopped green chili next time (from my freezer stash).

  6. The flavoring of this dish was delicious, but mine ended up with too much liquid. In reading previous comments I would amend to 14.5 oz Chicken Broth instead of 2 cups, half-box small pasta instead of 8 oz. and diced tomatoes (drained). I am going to try this again with the modifications. I used Rotel Tomatoes and Andouille Sausage for added spice. Thanks for this simple recipe!

    1. I “doubled ” it and 12 oz pasta and 2# sausage was PERFECT with 1 cup cream and 1 cup cheese. I added browned crumbled bacon and mushrooms sautéed in the bacon fat and broccoli- FANTASTIC!!!

  7. Thank you so much for sharing this delicious and amazingly easy recipe. As a pregnant mother of an 18-month-old, I need more recipes like this in my repertoire! My husband took one bite and said, “This one’s a keeper!” My daughter liked it, too. We didn’t have enough leftover so I made it again today. I can t wait to try out some of your other one pot wonders 🙂

  8. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was so yummy! We have now added it to our list of meals for the month. My two year old gobbles it up too! I used milk instead of cream, and the only real change I did was added fresh spinach to the mix! It’s nice to find yummy recipes that don’t include cream of anything soups!

  9. Thank you for sharing this recipe! It was so yummy! We have now added it to our list of meals for the month. My two year old gobbles it up too! I used milk instead of cream, and the only real change I did was added fresh spinach to the mix! It’s nice to find yummy recipes that don’t include cream of anything soups!

  10. Googled a one pot sausage recipe and here I am! I don’t eat meat though so I crumbled some veggie breakfast patties. I also added carrots and peas. I also didn’t have any diced tomatoes but I had some crushed tomatoes in basil oregano and garlic and added that. I think it would have tasted a bit better if I had plain tomatoes but overall it was really good. Thanks for the recipe!

  11. Our family loves this recipe, it’s so easy and delicious ! Instead of regular milk I use unsweetened coconut milk, coconut oil and brown rice pasta to make it a tad healthier for my taste and since I don’t like cooked pieces or whole tomatoes I swapped that out and used peas instead! This is now on our menu regularly!

  12. Hi there! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe…I love it! This is my second time making it in two weeks…such an easy, inexpensive dish to make. I like how easy this is to alter to items you have on hand. Tonight, I’m using beef sausage that was on sale and I think I’ll to throw in some frozen peas for a pop of color. First round, I only had stewed tomatoes…I just diced them up and they added a nice flavor. Looking forward to cooking this more this summer.

  13. I really want to make this recipe but my husband doesn’t like chunks or pieces of tomato. Is there something else I can use I dead of diced tomatoes?

    1. Yes, to both questions. 🙂

      If you choose water over broth you may need to salt it a little. But that’s a personal taste.

  14. I made this for dinner tonight. The flavor was great: however, it was a little more liquid-y than I anticipated. I reviewed the comments above and think i determined “the error of my ways.” The measurement on the pasta refers to the weight and I used a 14 1/2 ounce can of diced tomatoes not the 10 oz. That being said my family enjoyed the meal -no leftovers. Thanks for sharing.

    1. You’re not the first to confuse the measurements on the pasta! I’ll have to amend the recipe. Thanks for your comment. 🙂

  15. This is a fantastic base recipe for variations! It’s so fun to see what ideas people have to mix it up. I followed most of the recipe, but added 28 oz can of petite diced tomatoes and creole seasoning!