Sausage Pasta Skillet {recipe}

3.20.2013

The grown-ups version of hot dogs in mac & cheese.  But about 10x more delicious and flavorful.  This recipe is super simple, only taking a max. of about 30 minutes from start to finish, and using only ONE pan.  Less dirty dishes?  Yes, please.

This is one of my husbands favorites.. he'll even eat the left overs the next day!  I like to use the mild Rotel because I found the original is a little too spicy for me (and my daughter).  But if you like it spicy, go for it!  Even a pinch of red pepper flakes would up the spiciness of this dish.  This is a very versatile dish.. you could even add in some veggies if you'd like (broccoli would be good!).


Spicy Sausage Pasta Skillet 
via Plain Chicken

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 14 oz smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4" rounds
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 (10 oz) can rotel (I prefer mild, but if you want more spice use the original)
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 8 oz whole grain penne (or whatever noodle you prefer, I've also used bowtie)
  • Pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • thinly sliced scallions, for garnish
 
Heat oil over medium-high heat in an oven safe skillet until hot.  Add the sausage and onion and cook until lightly browned, 4-5 minutes.  Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.

Add the broth, rotel, heavy cream, uncooked pasta, and pepper.  Stir well.  Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer until the pasta is tender, 15 minutes.  Stir once or twice while cooking.  Preheat the broiler while pasta is cooking.

Remove the skillet from the heat, stir in 1 cup of the cheese. Taste, and add salt as needed. Top with the scallions and remaining cheese.  Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned - about 3 minutes.

Tastes great as leftovers the next day, too.. if you have any.  ;)

52 comments:

  1. Made this last night for my bf and his two teenage kids,.... it was AMAZING!!!b ( never put in oven and put all two cups of cheese in the skillet after it was put on low for a couple of minutes it thickened,.. better than olive garden and I love olive garden!!!! KEEPING THIS RECIPE :)

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    1. Hi Rose! I've never tried freezing it personally, but I don't see why not. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

      xo.

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  3. I just had this for dinner and wow is it good! Thank you so much for the recipe. I am putting it on my blog. http://crochetandcookery.blogspot.com/2013/08/spicy-pasta-skillet.html

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  4. Great recipe! I made this a few months ago on a whim but used real browned Italian sausage with some table cream. Added red (sweet) peppers for color and presentation.

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  5. Found this recipe on Pinterest and made it tonight. My husband's comment after dinner..."I like Pinterest. This is better than any restaurant meal you could get." I think it's a keeper!

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  6. Found this recipe on Pinterest and made it tonight. My husband's comment after dinner.."I like Pinterest. This is better than any restaurant meal." Think it's a keeper!

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  7. Making this tonight with high quality Italian sausage, quadrupling the recipe though! Sounds amazing and cant wait to try!!

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  8. this was fantastic! I used grape tomatoes, banana peppers and Jalapeño peppers from my garden (in place of the Rotel). Ended up freezing some in serving size quantity. Brought to work for lunches. YUMMY!

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  9. I made a sorta-kinda version of this tonight. lol I made it with bulk sausage (it was accidentally thawed the other day) and I used a cup of milk instead of cream cuz I forgot to buy cream at the store today. I added a package of steamed broccoli to it as well, because I love adding veggies to things to make my kids eat more. lol I also used a whole box of penne, so I upped the chicken broth (which was homemade, I forgot to add that before!) and... WOW!!! It was SOOO good! It was a little runny, probably from the excess chicken broth (next time I'll add less!) so to make up for that I added extra cheese, and the kids LOVE it! _I_ love it! We had it with a loaf of Italian bread and though I made a ton of extra, there is almost NONE left. Definitely a thumbs-up in this house, despite my little changes. :)

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  10. I tried this for my very picky family and they loved it. I added Jalapenos for a little fire, and used the original rotel was very good.

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  11. This is totally amazing !!! Its totally the best so far ive ever made!!! <3

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  12. I made this for dinner this week. My husband and oldest child LOVED it. We are totally adding this to the rotation. It heated up wonderfully the next day too.

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  13. Can you sub half and half for the heavy cream without the acid from the Rotel curdling the dairy? I saw Mayve's comments, sounds like not but she also overdid the broth which would have offset... Thanks!

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    1. Yes you can sub half and half! I've done it before and it worked out just fine. :) Enjoy!

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  14. Do you use Colby/Monterey Jack shredded cheese, or do you just use Monterey Jack? I only saw Colby/Monterey Jack at the store.

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  15. Do you use Monterey Jack/Colby shredded cheese, or do you only use Monterey Jack? I only saw the combination at the store.

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  16. I have used the combination and it works perfect! :)

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  17. I made this about two weeks ago and had to come back and say it is amazing! So good. thanks for sharing. Im making it tomorrow.

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  18. I made this about two weeks ago and had to come back and thank you for this amazing and simple dish. Is so good. I plan on making it for dinner tomorrow.

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  19. I plan on making this tonight.. do u have to use the broth?? That is the one thing I'm missing..

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  20. Has anyone tried halfing the recipe? How did it work?

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  21. Ummmmm this was AMAZING! And SO EASY. I subbed a few things and made my own small changes...didn't matter. Can't mess this one up. Thanks so much for this recipe.

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  22. Made this tonight. I used half and half, chunky rotel, bow tie pasta and shredded cheddar cheese. I know I changed it up a little bit but not much. This was AMAZING!!!! It was definitely pinned for use in the future.

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  23. What kind of heavy cream do they mean?

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  24. I made this last night, but substituted turkey sausage and egg noodles. My daughter said it was so good, it was on par with grandma's cooking! That is a huge compliment!

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  25. Going to try making it tonight. Wish me luck haha

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  26. It was delicious! :-) I cooked in some mushrooms and topped it off with diced Roma tomatoes.

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  27. I'm making this tomorrow night for my family and parents.

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  28. This recipe is delicious!! 5 Stars! I used salsa instead of the Rotel because that's all I had. It turned out fantastic! Everyone in the house like it and I will make this again.

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  29. Great recipe! I used cream cheese instead of heavy cream. Turned out great!

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  30. Just made this recipe. So yummy! Thanks for sharing it!

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  31. I've made this twice already and my husband couldn't inhale it fast enough!

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  32. Delish!!! Cooked as directed. Just added a dash of paprika to the mix. A definite keeper.

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  33. Delish!!! Cooked as directed. Just added a dash of paprika to the mix. A definite keeper.

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  34. This came out yummy! It hit the spot when I was in a pinch. Definitely will be making this again.

    http://tinypic.com/r/m7xmvm/8

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  35. I'm making this for the second time tonight, I used orzo pasta and 2% milk instead of cream. It's outstanding! Thanks for the recipe!:) :) :)

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  36. Yummy!! not tried this before, sounds lovely. Thanks for sharing.

    Simon

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  37. LOVE tos recipe. Have made this several times. My whole family loves it. Even my picky eater. Always a hit in our house.

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  38. This was GREAT! I was looking to use up some sweet Italian sausage and only had white cheddar cheese on hand. I was nervous that the combo was going to taste weird, but it was delicious!

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  39. I am so impressed at this dish! Simple & yet special!I made mine using raw andouille rope sausage that I cooked first, then sliced. This gave it such a spicy flare! I only had diced tomatoes with seasonings on hand & used half and half in lieu of the heavy cream. I used a bag of mexican blend cheese. Out of this world good!

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  40. Just finished this meal. GREAT!!! Easy and just enough "heat" in the rotel to give it a little kick. Hubby even ate it and loved it. He normally doesn't eat onions or tomatoes. LOL. The joke is on him tonight.

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  41. Just made this tonight and it is amazing!!!!

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  42. This looks awesome! Do you have any tips for scaling it up? I want to double the sausage and pasta

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  43. Have made this twice already. We really love it. Quick, easy and delicious.

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  44. I'm making this now. Smells great and looks awesome. I'll let you know how it goes.

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  45. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. I was able to make a huge batch of it and feed the family for dinner and lunches the next day. They LOVED it. Plus....I am not the best at cooking usually so this was simple enough for a beginner. :)

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  46. I can't wait to make this tomorrow....looks do good!!

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  47. I am thinking of making his tonight, however, I do not have any heavy cream. Could I use milk or even Greek yogurt to thicken it up a bit?

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  48. Just made this for my husband who doesn't like pasta all that much - after three bites, he said - I love this, I mean really love it, write this down do you don't forget what you did!" The andouille richly flavored the noodles and the sauce was not heavy or tomato-y. This recipe hit it out of the park

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