Cheesy Sausage Pasta (one pot)

This cheesy creamy sausage pasta recipe is made in just one pot! 

With tender pasta, 3 kinds of cheese, and juicy Italian sausage, this dish had heaps of flavor, and needs very little clean up!

One-Pot Pasta

• This recipe is made in one pot, which means less mess.
• We love the combination of spiced sausage and cheese sauce.
• Use any medium pasta you’d like. Veggies can be added to the mix too.
• This dish reheats well for lunches (add a splash of milk before heating).

Ingredients in Cheesy Sausage Pasta

Sausage pasta often consists of Italian sausage in a tomato based sauce. We love that this recipe is a bit different with a creamy cheesy mac and cheese style sauce.

SAUSAGE: Italian sausage offers a little fennel and oregano flavor and cooks along with the pasta. It adds lots of flavor to this dish. A smoked sausage can be used it preferred.

PASTA: Penne is a great pasta since the tubes hold lots of cheesy sauce. Any medium pasta such as bowtie, rotini, even cavatappi will work.

You may need to adjust cook time (and add a bit of water) if you change the pasta.

SAUCE: The pasta cooks right in the sauce along with the sausage. The starches from the pasta help to thicken while the flavors in the sauce really cling to the pasta.

Be sure to remove the sauce from the heat before stirring in the cheese, too much heat can cause the sauce to separate.

Cheese will thicken the sauce so ensure you have a bit of liquid before adding the cheese. If the sauce gets too thick, you can stir in a little bit of broth.

How to Make Cheesy Sausage Pasta

1. Brown sausage & onion in a large pot.
2. Add all remaining ingredients to the same pot and simmer until pasta is tender.

3. Remove sausage, slice, & return to pot. (As per recipe below)
4. Stir in cheeses until melted. Garnish with extra cheese.

Storing Leftovers

Keep cooled leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Cheesy pasta sausage tastes better the next day and is a hearty way to energize the rest of the school or workday!

One-Pot Pasta Dishes

• One-Pot Pasta with Chicken – ready in 30 minutes
• Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni – way better than Hamburger Helper
• One-Pot Rotini Pasta – perfect weeknight meal
• Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta – so filling & flavorful
• Easy Lasagna – a family favorite

Did your family love this Sausage Pasta? Be sure to leave us a rating and a comment below! 

4.8 from 10 votes

Review Recipe

Sausage Pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Author Holly Nilsson

This rich and creamy pasta dish tastes just like mac & cheese, but is loaded with pieces of Italian sausage!

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Ingredients

• ▢ ½ pound Italian sausage links
• ▢ 1 onion finely diced
• ▢ 2 cups milk
• ▢ 1 ½ cups chicken broth or water
• ▢ 1 ½ cups uncooked penne
• ▢ 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• ▢ 1 teaspoon each garlic powder, sugar, paprika, and pepper
• ▢ 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• ▢ ½ cup gruyere cheese shredded
• ▢ ½ cup parmesan cheese shredded
• ▢ salt & pepper to taste

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Instructions

• In a large pot over medium heat, brown Italian sausage and onion.
• Add milk, broth, and pasta to the pot along with the sausage and onion. Stir in the cornstarch and seasonings and bring to a boil.
• Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cover, and cook for 10-16 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Check the pan frequently and add more water or broth as needed.
• Once the pasta is tender, remove the pot from the heat. Remove sausage from the pot and slice.
• Stir the cheese into the pasta until melted. Stir in the sliced sausage and serve.

Recipe Notes

You may need to adjust cook time if you change the pasta for another shape.

Stir in the cornstarch before the liquid heats up.

A wider saucepan may cause the liquid to evaporate faster so you can add a bit of broth or water if needed.

Grate the cheese from a block, pre-shredded cheeses do not work as well in this recipe.

Remove the sauce from the heat before stirring in the cheese. Cheeses will thicken the sauce so ensure you have a bit of liquid before adding. If the sauce gets too thick, you can stir in a little bit of broth.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 440, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 23g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 70mg, Sodium: 816mg, Potassium: 385mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 514IU, Vitamin C: 6mg, Calcium: 464mg, Iron: 1mg

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)

Keyword 3 cheese pasta, how to make Sausage Pasta, Sausage Pasta, Sausage Pasta recipe

Course Dinner, Entree, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine American

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