This Cheesy Sausage Pasta is the dish that made me fall in love with one-pot pastas all those years ago. It’s fast, easy, SUPER flavorful, and because everything cooks in one pot, there’s barely anything to clean up after dinner. WIN. The flavorful combination of smoky sausage, spicy diced tomatoes with green chiles, and creamy Monterey Jack is simple but irresistible, and it cooks in about 30 minutes. That’s a winner in my book!
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What’s in Cheesy Sausage Pasta?
This recipe was inspired by an absolutely mouth-watering photo I saw on Pinterest, which was this Spicy Sausage Pasta from KevinandAmanda.com. But, of course, I made some changes to fit the ingredients I had on hand. I nixed the heavy cream in the original recipe because I figured that between the cheese and sausage, there’d be plenty of fatty goodness going on. My version ended up being rich, but not so much so that you’ll feel super weighed down. I also added fresh spinach because I have a HUGE bag in my fridge just waiting to be used up. Plus, I felt that the recipe needed a little green.
What Else Can I Add?
Some other vegetable options for this recipe are bell peppers or broccoli, both of which go great with smoked sausage. If you want to add bell peppers, dice them up and saute them with the onions in the beginning. If you want to add broccoli, cut it into very small florets and add it with the pasta so that the broccoli can simmer a little bit and soften. There are so many different ways you can take this recipe… I’m excited to hear what you come up with!
What Type of Pasta to Use
This recipe works great with any short pasta shape (bowties, penne, rotini, etc.). I originally used campanelle (my favorite frilly flower shaped pasta), but I couldn’t find any this time around so I decided to go with wide egg noodles. One note: If you are using regular pasta (not egg noodles, which are a little more delicate), you may need slightly more broth.
Can I Use a Different Cheese?
I particularly love Monterey Jack cheese for this recipe because it melts into a super creamy texture that kind of mixes into the sauce for a super creamy finish…without adding any cream. Other cheeses will also taste great, but they probably won’t have the same creamy finish. You can try cheddar, mozzarella (aim for whole milk mozzarella instead of part-skim), or even a sprinkle of crumbled feta. And remember, pre-shredded cheese won’t melt nearly as well as cheese you shred yourself! ;)
Cheesy Sausage Pasta
Servings 4Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion ($0.38)
- 7 oz. smoked sausage ($1.75)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles (Rotel) ($1.00)
- 8 oz. wide egg noodles* ($1.40)
- 1.5 cups chicken broth ($0.20)
- 3 cups fresh spinach ($0.85)
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack ($1.25)
- 1 green onion, sliced ($0.20)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and slice the sausage into rounds.
- Add the cooking oil and sausage to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the sausage is well browned. If there is excess fat in the skillet, drain it off before moving to the next step.
- Add the onions to the skillet with the sausage and continue to sauté until the onions have softened. Allow the moisture from the onions to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
- Add the diced tomatoes with green chiles (with juices), uncooked pasta, and chicken broth. Stir until everything is evenly combined. It's okay if the broth does not fully cover the pasta.
- Place a lid on the skillet and allow the broth to come up to a boil. When it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and let the pasta simmer for about 10 minutes, or until tender. Stir the pasta occasionally, replacing the lid each time.
- Once the pasta is cooked and only a small amount of saucy liquid remains, it's time to add the spinach to the skillet. Gently stir the fresh spinach into the pasta, allowing the residual heat to wilt the spinach.
- Once the spinach has wilted, top the pasta with Monterey Jack cheese. Place the lid back on the skillet and let the pasta heat over low until the cheese is melted and creamy.
- Sprinkle the sliced green onions over top just before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Cheesy Sausage Pasta – Step By Step Photos
Dice one yellow onion and slice about 7oz. smoked sausage (half of a 14oz. link—you can freeze the rest!) into medallions.
Add the sausage and 1 Tbsp cooking oil to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the sausage is well browned. If there’s a lot of excess fat in the skillet, drain it off before proceeding to the next step.
Add the onions to the skillet with the sausage and continue to sauté until the onions have softened. Allow the moisture from the onions to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the skillet.
Add one 10oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Rotel), 8 oz. pasta, and 1.5 cups chicken broth. If you’re using regular pasta (not egg noodles), increase to 2 cups broth.
Stir everything together until well combined. Place a lid on the skillet and allow the broth to come up to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and let the pasta simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally (replacing the lid each time). Make sure the broth maintains a simmer.
While the pasta is cooking, shred about 1 cup of Monterey Jack cheese and slice one green onion. When the pasta is tender and only a small amount of saucy liquid remains in the skillet, it’s time to add the spinach.
Add about three packed cups of fresh spinach to the skillet and carefully stir until the hot pasta wilts the spinach.
Add one cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top of the pasta. Place the lid on the skillet and let it heat over low for a few minutes, or just until the cheese is melted and creamy.
Top the finished pasta with the sliced green onions and serve hot!
Soooo cheeessyyyy. 🤤
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I made this last week and it was delicious. I am making it again tonight. I used turkey sausage by ekrich with half the fat. And it was so good. There was no taste difference and i added extra cheese for extra creaminess.
Loved this one-dish stovetop “casserole”–fast, easy and tasty. This family of four had NO leftovers. Made it with turkey kielbasa, penne pasta, fresh cherry tomatoes (left over from something else) and a TB of canned green chilies (also left over from another recipe). Used about 2 1/2 cups broth because I wasn’t using canned tomatoes. When I make it again, I am going to try to find smoked Monterey Jack for a bit more flavor. Anonymous, where do you live that this cost $17?! Clare
Since we had sausage earlier this week, I subsituted chicken. The dish was very creamy, as stated, however, it was VERY spicy. I would recommend NOT using the tomatoes with chilis and just use plain diced or fresh tomatoes. We ate as a family and even my 2yr old said “Spicy Mommy.” I will definitely do this dish again with a few minor adjustments.
Loved it! We used turkey sausage, and next time I may sub one of the cups of broth for water-even with reduced sodium broth, there’s a lot of sodium. I added too much pasta the first time so I had to add a little water.
Loved it! We used turkey sausage, and next time I may sub one of the cups of broth for water-even with reduced sodium broth, there’s a lot of sodium. I added too much pasta the first time so I had to add a little water.
I made this recipe exactly as is. The total price for me was $17. Not bad but it didn’t have any flavor so it was hard to eat without getting bored of it quickly. Needs more spices.
Wow! This was great and so easy! I followed the recipe exactly, only substituting minced onion for fresh because my husband has a weird thing about onion texture. I also used egg noodles because I thought that’s what was in the picture. They turned out really well and helped soaked up all the delicious broth. I will definitely be making this one again! Love your budget friendly recipes!
My dad recently got a sausage maker and he had lots of fun with it…he ended up with 45 sausages or something, so he gave me a big bag to keep in my freezer at school! Can’t wait to use them for this yummy-looking recipe :)
Tonight was my first night cooking in a kitchen that we’ve been remodeling since beginning of December (SO SICK of microwaveable dinners, ramen, and takeout!, and I’ve had this on my mind since you posted the recipe. It was SO good and totally lived up to my expectations. What a great way to break in my new kitchen! I just love your blog, it’s my go to when I’m meal planning!
We made this and it was a huge hit. I was massively surprised that I had everything I needed (within reason) in my pantry. I subbed andouille sausage for smoked and used elbow noodles (since I have many boxes of it) but it was massively popular. And that is saying something, considering my picky 3 and 5 year old kids!
Delish! It was way spicier than expected, but in a good way! Made it for friends and they all flipped!
Holy crapoly this was delicious! I did use egg noodles, and it was fine.
Mandy – Yep, pepper jack is just monterrey jack with hot peppers added, so that will still work fine. :)
Emile – It’s actually regular pasta (not egg pasta), but it’s these cool shapes called flowers (or the Italian word for flowers, anyway). I bet egg noodles would work well too, though!
Beth, can I ask what kind of pasta you used in this recipe? It looks like plain ol’ egg noodles, but I didn’t want to make assumptions, especially if that’s not the case!