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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.
Good, easy recipe for weeknights. Mine was a little watery and the recipe I used said “still in cheese”. Wasn’t sure what that meant so put in all the cheese and it melted in the sauce. Tasty!
Hi Susan, Glad you enjoyed the meal. Can you tell me where you saw the “still” because I checked and in both spots I saw it says “stir.” Also I added a note at the end of the recipe about the liquid. I hope you give it a try again!
This easy One Pot meal was AMAZING!! Although the recipe said it feeds 5, 3 of us nearly polished it off! My son asked that we put the rest in the refrigerator in the garage so he doesn’t eat the remainder tonight! Thank you for such a quick and easy recipe. I subscribe to your site and will be watching your recipes much more closely!! YUMMY!!
You are so welcome Marilyn! Thanks for stopping by and sharing your positive feedback.
This was delish!! I used a combo of rotini and elbows bc that’s what I had on hand.
Made it just as directed, using mozzarella at the end (again, what I had on hand!)
Very good, easy and satisfying. Served next to a simple salad – lettuce salad as my grandma used to say LOL
Thank you!
You are so welcome Carolynn! Thanks for sharing your positive feedback.
This was delish!! I used a combo of rotini and elbows bc that’s what I had on hand.
Made it just as directed, using mozzarella at the end (again, what I had on hand!)
Very good, easy and satisfying. Served next to a simple salad – lettuce salad as my grandma used to say LOL
Thank you!
This was pretty awesome. My beloved husband doesn’t care for Eckrich or sausage but he loved this so much he had 3 servings. We did cook our pasta separately and doesn’t hurt a thing. Add garlic bread and salad and you have a sure fit winner.
Hi Patie, so glad you guys loved it. thank you so much for sharing your positive feedback.
We made this for dinner a year or so ago and loved it, but then we misplaced the recipe. So glad to have found it again. Making it for dinner tonight.
I’m glad you found it too! 🙂
My family LOVED this! Used cheddar jalapeño sausage and it added just the right amount of kick!
My family loves smoked sausage, too, so I am always looking up different recipes for a bake or pasta to incorporate it into. I made this dish last night and it was by far the best we’ve tried! The consistency is great and we of course loved all the gooey cheese (we added frozen peas as well)! I will definitely be making it again!
Easy and delicious! A go-to family meal 🙂 I’ll throw in spinach, red peppers, or whatever else I may have on hand as well.
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Heidi!
This was super easy and super good! I used the fine grated cheese and a bit more than a cup.
More cheese is never a bad thing!
This was absolutely delicious, Kristin! I made it with no changes and it came out great. Not soupy, as someone said, just perfectly cheesy and delicious. Even my picky son loved it! And, by the way, the leftovers were just as good heated up the next day for lunch! Thanks for a fantastic and easy recipe that the whole family enjoyed! PS – I’m thinking next time (which will be soon), I’ll add some broccoli.
Hi Deb, thank you so much for taking the time to leave some feedback.
Ps Broccoli would be a great addition.
I made this for the first time for dinner tonight. My husband actually high-fived me he loved it so much! This is easy to make and SO delicious! Will be adding this recipe to my regular rotation!!
Wow! High five worthy! That’s what we like to hear. Thanks for stopping by Patti.
This is our fav meal!!! My son moved out and requests it whenever he comes home. Are the nutrition facts for the whole recipe or for one serving? On WW ans craving this meal:)
Hi Jennie, the nutritional information is for 1/5 of the recipe. We usually get 5 servings, but some people get 4 or 6. So it depends on how big of a serving you have.
Sounds deliciously simple. I will be making this tonight. Thanks for sharing and God Bless you and yours!
You are so welcome Debbie! Thanks for stopping by.
This one of my families go to meals! My kids love it, it is super easy and always a crowd pleaser! Thank you so much for sharing with us!
This is***
That’s so awesome Kaitlyn! Thanks for stopping by.
I made the Cheesy sausage pasta and it was fabulous. Don’t know what all the comments about being soupee alre about. Guess they aren’t smart enough to follow a recipe. Thank you so much for your posting.
Thank you Jeanie!
Made it! So delicious!
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Holly.
That photo looks like MORE than 1 C of cheese~
The cheese is melted and melts into a sauce. It is one cup of cheese.
Wow!! This was a big hit with me and my family. I wouldnt change a thing! So good and rich with flavor. Thank you for sharing it ?? I will be making it again and again!
Nice! Thank you so much for stopping by Sarah.
Delicious my family loved it tans demanded I make it again. although the second time I accidentally cooked the past first! Hopefully it’s not ruined fingers crossed!
Thank you so much for stopping by Shane.