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Easy sausage pasta dinner ready in 30 minutes with only one skillet! This pasta is covered in a creamy cheesy sauce and the smokiness of the sausage brings out the Cajun flavor in this dish.
Easy One-Pan Dinners
When everyone is tired from the day, you need something quick and easy to cook for weeknight meals. I’m talking the kind that you can throw together in thirty minutes or less with ingredients you likely already have in your kitchen. You still want something delicious and flavorful even when you are cooking something quick. That’s why I love this one-pan creamy sausage pasta. This dish is quick, simple and packed full of flavor.
What Kind of Sausage Do I Use?
Picking the right sausage for this dish is important. If you haven’t noticed, I’m a fan of smoked sausage. Several of my dinner recipes (especially the Cajun ones) feature smoked or andouille sausage — chicken and sausage gumbo, Cajun jambalaya, roasted sausage pan dinner, and Cajun white bean soup. Sausage quickly infuses flavor into any dish. My favorite brand of sausage is Conecuh Sausage, but any quality pork smoked sausage will do.
How to Make the Sausage Pasta?
Step 1: Cook the sausage
Let’s get started! In a large skillet, cook the sausage until it is browned around the edges. Once it’s browned, set it aside on plate covered with a paper towel. Do not drain the oil in the pan, you’ll use this to cook the vegetables.
Step 2: Cook the vegetables
Next, add the chopped onions and bell peppers to the skillet. Cook until they have slightly softened which takes about five minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Step 3: Add ingredients for sauce
Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, cream, jalapenos (optional), pasta, and salt and pepper (to taste). I like the extra spice from the jalapenos but my kids did not care for the spiciness. If you don’t like it spicy, just leave out the jalapenos.
Step 4: Boil & Simmer
At this point, the skillet will be full so stir slowly to make sure it is incorporated. Then carefully add the sausage back into the skillet and stir. Cover the skillet, crank up the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the pasta is done (approximately 15 minutes). You can stir it occasionally during this time just to make sure the pasta is in the liquid.
Step 5: Remove & Add Cheese
Next, take the skillet off the heat and then add the cheese and the parsley. Stir together and let it sit for five minutes to thicken the sauce. Then serve the sausage pasta on a plate or bowl and top with more cheese if desired.
That’s it! How easy was that? Y’all…this sausage pasta is seriously delicious. It reminds me of a quicker weeknight version of pastalaya. It’s got the smoky flavor from the sausage, the creaminess from the heavy cream and the flavors from the garlic, onions and bell peppers. So next time you’re not sure what to cook for dinner, make this sausage pasta and I promise, you won’t regret it.
Tools I used to make this recipe:
If you like this recipe, try these:
- Chicken, sausage and seafood gumbo
- Cajun jambalaya
- Slow cooker Cajun white bean soup
- Sausage roast pan dinner
One Pan Creamy Sausage Pasta
Easy sausage pasta weeknight dinner recipe.
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1 pound smoked sausage (500 grams)
- 1 large onion (diced)
- 1 medium green bell pepper (diced)
- 3 garlic cloves (minced)
- 4 small diced tomatoes (about 2 cups)
- 2 cups chicken broth (500 ml)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (100 ml)
- 1 tablespoon chopped jalapenos (optional)
- 3 1/2 cups shell pasta (350 grams)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (75 grams)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley (12 grams)
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the sausage on medium heat.
- Set it aside on plate covered with a paper towel. Do not drain the oil.
- Add the chopped onions and bell peppers and cook until they have softened (takes about five minutes).
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional one minute.
- Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, cream, jalapenos (optional), pasta, salt and pepper (to taste). The skillet will be really full so stir slowly.
- Carefully add the sausage back into the skillet and stir.
- Cover the skillet with a lid, turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the pasta is done (approximately 15 minutes). Stirring occasionally.
- Once the pasta is done, remove it from the heat. Add the cheese and the parsley. Stir together and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Serve and top with more cheese if desired.
J K
Quick question – I’m also an expat in the Netherlands and am wondering if you can buy that sausage here or if you have found a local option. The pasta looks delicious! Thanks!
Krystal
I buy the “verse rookworst fijn” from Jumbo. It’s the closest to Andouille sausage that I have found here. If you find something that you like more, please let me know! I didn’t realize how good I had it in Louisiana.
J K
I’ll try it! Thanks!!
Karan Larabee
Recipe was better tasting 2nd day. I will make again.
Tamara
Very good!! Glad I tried it. Made it per recipe except for jalapeños. Plus I precooked pasta and added extra sausage. Other reviewer was correct- better 2nd day. Yummy. Worth trying.
Lisa Doleys
Excellent quick dinner!! I doubled cheese and put dry pasta in pot with liquid. It turned out terrific! I did add the jalapeño (my family likes it hot) took about 15 min to thicken up but it is definitely a do over in our house!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Krystal
So glad you enjoyed it!