Kristin Maxwell
Last updated on
One Pot Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet
Creamy, cheesy, spicy and savory, this One Pot Cheesy Sausage Pasta meal has got it all!
I am so excited to share this cheesy smoked sausage pasta skillet recipe with you today! One pot meals are my favorite, and this one has just topped the list! 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!
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 salad and you’re good to go!
I love smoked sausage, and it was perfect paired with the other flavors in this recipe. I can’t wait to create some more!
HOW TO MAKE ONE POT CHEESY SMOKED SAUSAGE PASTA
The steps for this recipe are quick and easy. 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!
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Cook onions, garlic and smoked sausage in a large, deep saute pan and cook until lightly browned.
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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.
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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.
A lot of people ask what pan I use for this smoked sausage recipe. I use my Simply Calphalon Nonstick 5-qt. Sauté Pan. It’s a great non-stick pan, it’s held up fabulously for years, and clean up is a snap! I recently purchased a Calphalon Tri-Ply Stainless Steel 12″ Everyday Pan
and that one is just as fabulous. Both are perfect for any of my one pot meals.
HOW TO SERVE ONE PAN SAUSAGE PASTA
We love to serve this sausage pasta with a simple green salad and maybe some fresh bread on the side. You could also add your favorite veggies to the mix, like zucchini or broccoli.
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 separates.
If your pasta was not stored with a sauce, drizzle on a little olive oil before heating.
WANT 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
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like some of my other one pot meals:
- One Pot Macaroni and Cheese
- One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta
- One Pan Chicken Apple Sausage Pasta
- One Pot Chicken Cacciatore
If you’ve made this recipe, please come back and leave us a star rating or a comment below. Or, tag us on social media @yellowblissroad or #yellowblissroad for a chance to be featured.
One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta Skillet
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 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
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
*Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen Simple Recipes Cookbook. For a complete list of recipes on the site, be sure to go here.
Made this with gluten-free noodles as my daughter doesn’t tolerate the regular wheat pasta. It was easy and delicious, whole family loved it. I think I’ll try the “mild” Rotel next time as it was plenty spicy for our tastes. But I will be making it again. Thanks
You are so welcome Carla! Thanks for stopping by.
I’d LL I’ve to try this recipe but doesn’t give directions of how much of each ingredient to use.
Hi Patrice – you can find the full recipe ingredients and instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Just need to scroll down, or you can use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
I just tried this recipe and it turned out good
I needed a quick meal to fixed and something different so I googled what to do with smoke sausage and this one popped up so I tried it thank a lot I can’t wait until the next family cook out I’ll going to make this and I might add something green to it! Love it
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Janet.
What a great find! I needed something quick, easy, tasty and filling. I’m at home with health issues and I usually get my meals delivered but delivery is in a few days. It’s been a while since I’ve made something for myself. I came across this recipe and I am very pleased with the results. I love the one pan idea. I would’ve made a mess but my dinner was a success with no mess and I have leftovers. Thank you so much.
– Kristen in Ohio
You are so welcome Kristen from Ohio! Thank for the kind words and awesome feedback!
This was so unbelievably easy & good! I added a slurry towards the end to thicken the sauce. 1 tsp cornstarch mixed with 2teaapooons water.
Love the feedback Amber! Thanks for stopping by.
K.
I started making this when my son was 2-3 years old! He’s 9 now and it’s his favorite meal! He asks for it every week 🥰 Yum!!
That’s so awesome Tosha! Thank you for stopping by.
K.
I always make this with a can of Rotel tomatoes with green chiles – absolutely delicious!!!
Would this worked doubled in a 5qt as well?
Hi Jessie, it fills the 5 quart about 3/4 of the way, so it probably wouldn’t work to double it.
Great family dinner. We have late dinner due to kids sports and this recipe is quick and delicious. I substitute tomatoes and turkey with tomato sauce and Italian sausage. Very yummy and kids love it! Thank you so much for this recipe.
You are so welcome Angie! Thanks for the awesome feedback.
I’ve had this pinned for a long time, but I forgot about it until today. I made it using the cream and Rotel options and it was delicious! I love the little bit of heat the Rotel adds. The one thing I missed was the note about removing some of the liquid, so mine wasn’t as thick as it could have been.
Nice! Thanks for stopping Matt.
Made this keeper today. Very good & it made a lot. Added marojam & basil but followed the recipe beyond that. I used hot rotel & it was spicy. Will use regular diced tomatoes next time.
Fantastic feedback Yvonne! Thanks for stopping by.
This was sooooo good… I preferred it with out cheese, But Hubby liked it with cheese
Can this recipe be frozen? Would anything be done differently?
I’ve been making this for awhile now. Just love it. Don’t usually leave reviews, but this is delicious.
Love the feedback Mandy! Thank you so much for stopping by.
Our family loves this recipe! I’ve made it around 6 times and it has become a super easy, go-to recipe for us. When I make it I use Italian sausage, basil and oregano seasonings, and some Italian blend cheeses. I also throw in some chopped spinach to add some green and omit the scallions. It tastes AMAZING every time!
Sounds delicious Kristen! Love the awesome feedback. Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve been making this dish every other week for about the last year. Tonight I finally made time to leave a review! When I first found the recipe it was actually my husband that convinced me to try it. I wasn’t sure about the milk and tomatoes, but I’m so glad we tried it. The flavor in this recipe is scrumptious! We, of course, personalize the recipe a bit. I typically double the recipe for lunch the next day (using a large electric skillet) so we do a can of Rotel and a can of regular diced tomatoes to keep the heat down for our little one. My husband just adds crushed red pepper to his for more spice. This recipe is fantastic and I’m so glad to have an easy dish for our regular rotation!
Desiree, Thank you so much for taking the time to share this awesome feedback. We are honored to be in your rotation for the last year.
Thanks for stopping by.
Kristin
I didn’t remember to spoon out the extra liquid so this did turn out with a lot of “soupiness” to it, but honestly it tasted so good, I didn’t mind at all! We just ate it with big spoons 🙂
Awesome feedback Angela! Thanks for stopping by.
Hi, I’m going to make this lovely recipe!
Can you please tell me how many this recipe should feed? Thank you.
Hi Hayley, this recipe will make 4-6 servings. It feeds my family of 5 well.