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!
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.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
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. 🤤
I made this for supper tonight and I added mushrooms and a little bit of cream cheese! It was delicious!
I made this for dinner tonite and doubled it. Luckily I only added one can of tomatoes. It was just perfectly spicy! I mixed the cheese through the dish and it made the sauce thick. Delicious!!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious and my husband had 2 helpings. We don’t have a dishwasher, so any of your Crockpot or skillet meals are the most appealing to me. Anything to keep the dishes and mess to a minimum. I only had a spicy smoked sausage, so I used that. Added a bit of garlic, and it was a nice meal. I will make this again.
I may have to try this tomorrow..although I have to say the pricing is all wrong..I know that pricing may vary depending on what area you are from..but a 6 ounce package of shredded cheese in my area is about $5.99 and an 8 ounce package of smoked sausage is about $4.99. I buy fresh spinach all the time and one package that gives me about 3 and a half cups of spinach is $3.99 unless I catch it on sale..an 8 ounce box of pasta will cost me anywhere from $1.00-$1.50. This is not really a dish on a budget..but either way sounds great and I will have to try it! Thanks for posting it!
The liquid did not evaporate or thicken after adding pasta.. what did I do wrong
It sounds like you may need to turn up the heat just a tad. The heat level will depend on your particular stove top and the type of cookware used, but it needs to be simmering the whole time for the pasta to absorb the liquid. If the pasta softens up but there is still a considerable amount of liquid, let it simmer for a couple minutes without a lid for the moisture to evaporate.
I’m going to make this tonight for supper!! :) my family loves cheddar smokies sausages so I’ll be using those and I have cheese tortellini as the pasta! Will let you know how it turns out but I’m super excited!
This is a favorite in our house. We have a new baby coming and I’m trying to make a bunch of food ahead. Do you think this would ok if I made it and froze it? I’m not great with a freezer and I don’t want to mess up the deliciousness!
This one will probably freeze decently. It won’t be quite as awesome as it is just after you make it, but it should still be tasty.
I enjoyed it … tweaked it a little because I don’t like to use canned tomato – blanched and pealed some Roma tomatoes and roasted a jalapeno (wear gloves)
Very yummy! Even better than expected. Definitely a keeper!
This was amazing. I need to double it next time, my 2 teenage boys devoured it after practice. Leaving my husband and I to eat sandwiches
I had to come back and review this because it was excellent. I used rotels for the tomatoes and that made it a little spicy. Not kid friendly unless your child likes that sort of thing so to appease the 6 year old next time I would use just diced tomatoes and I am sure it would come out just as good. I was suprised the noodles came out so well it what seemed like just a little bit of liquid. This recipe is tasty, budget friendly, quick and has spinach so I just love it.. Thanks!
made this for dinner tonight, the ingredients i didnt have in my cupboard/freezer cost me about $13
i used the full $3 bag of spinach, for 12oz of noodles and the full pack of sausages. i could have saved with buying a different type of canned tomatoes, but i love the way it turned out. my only issue is something that was my fault, i added too much liquid and by the time it simmered out my noodles were done, but they overcooked once i added the spinach/extras :( oh well. now i know for next time :)
Wow this was a hit. I was thoroughly impressed and will make again and again. Next time I’ll try turkey sausage instead of smoked sausage because smoked sausage can be overwhelming imo. And when it comes to making a first time meal for my partner, I’ll whip this up. Thanks for posting.
For anyone doing Weight Watchers I calculated this at 9 P+ per serving with just a few modifications. I used turkey sausage and fat free cheese. It was a really good size serving for 9 points. Thanks for the great recipe!
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