Smoked Sausage Pasta in 30-Minutes

This cheesy smoked sausage pasta recipe is quick and easy. With only one pan and everyday pantry ingredients, it makes a perfect lower-fat healthy dinner for a busy weeknight.

Introduction

The whole family will love this simple one-pan smoked sausage pasta recipe. And it is so fast nobody will be waiting for dinner.

A skinny version of an American Test Kitchen Spicy Sausage Pasta recipe (subscription required) from their The Best Simple Recipes cookbook.

I lowered the fat by using turkey sausage and substituted low-fat sour cream for the heavy cream. I can not bring myself to use something called heavy cream.

My Rating

High 4 or low 5.

📋Ingredients

Sausage: I suggest turkey kielbasa or smoked sausage, which provides excellent taste and decreases the fat. Any sausage can be used, but it should be thoroughly cooked before being used in this recipe if uncooked.

Pasta: The pasta is cooked in the spicy sauce in the dish. Use a bite-sized standard commercial type pasta and cook until tender. I used bowtie pasta, but something like penne pasta would be good. If you want to use a non-standard type of pasta, you need to cook until al dente or cook separately and add it near the end.

Cheese: I like Monterey cheese in this casserole, but mozzarella or cheddar cheese are also excellent choices.

You will need 1 to 1 ½ cups shredded of cheese of your choice. Use a lower fat cheese like a 2% or lower fat to keep this skinny. I never recommend using fat-free cheese.

Tomatoes: Use tomatoes with green chilis added—commonly called Rotel, which come in 10 ½ ounces can. It will add lots of spiciness—6/10 spicy. If you don't want that spicy southwest type taste. Use a can of drained diced tomatoes.

Spices: No additional spices are suggested, but you can add other flavors if you want. Use drained diced tomatoes instead of Rotel, and add what you like. You can adjust the spiciness with red pepper flakes.

👨‍🍳How to Cook Smoked Sausage Pasta

1. Slice precooked smoke sausage, kabasa, or chorizo into ¼ inch thick disks. Chop the medium onion also.
2. Over medium-high heat in a large oven safe skillet, cook the sausage and onion until the onion is clearing and sausage is browning some.
3. To the sausage mixture, add chicken broth, drained diced tomatos or RoTel, sour cream, and spices. Bring to a boil and add uncooked pasta.
4. Simmer until pasta is tender. Mix in a little cheese. Top with more cheese and brown under a broiler.
5. Serving sprinkled with sliced scallions.

❓FAQ's

📖Casserole Recipes

Baked Chicken Spaghetti

Baked Ziti with Italian Sausage

Chicken Baked Ziti

30 Minute Cheesy Jambalaya

Cheesy American Goulash

This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Preheat 1 ½ teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-safe skillet.

Chop one medium onion and 1 pound of cooked sausage of your choice into ¼ inch medallions. I suggest turkey smoked sausage.

Add the onion and sausage to the pan. Cook until onion is clearing nicely and sausage is browning—about 5 minutes. Add two cloves of minced garlic and cook another 30 seconds.

Add a 14 oz can of chicken broth, a 10 ½ oz can RoTel or a can of drained diced tomatoes, ½ cup sour cream, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper—mix well.

Add 8 oz.(2 cups) of dry pasta of your choice.

Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then decrease the heat to low: cover and simmer. Stir occasionally and cook until pasta is tender — about 15 minutes. If you are approaching the endpoint for the pasta and too much fluid is present, uncover and increase heat to medium-high for the last few minutes.

Add ½ cup of shredded cheese of your choice and mix in.

Sprinkle 1 cup of shredded cheese on top.

Place under broiler until cheese is melted and browned.

Garnish with chopped green onions if desired.

📖Recipe

Editor's Note: Originally Published September 28, 2013. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.