You can’t beat the ease of this cheesy smoked sausage pasta for a 30-minute weeknight dinner. Made-from-scratch mac and cheese is tossed with kielbasa and tender broccoli florets so that you get an entire meal in one pan!
Table of Contents
- Video: How to Make Smoked Sausage Pasta
- This Smoked Sausage and Pasta is a Quick Weeknight Dinner
- Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- Directions
- What to Serve with Smoked Sausage and Pasta
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Smoked Sausage Pasta Recipe
- Recipe Variations
- More Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage Recipes
If you’re looking for even more smoked sausage recipes with pasta, try this dump-and-bake sausage noodle casserole and this smoked sausage pasta bake, too!
The absolute best recipe I have found in years!! I go exactly by the recipe.
– Cindy
Video: How to Make Smoked Sausage Pasta
This Smoked Sausage and Pasta is a Quick Weeknight Dinner
The idea for this recipe comes from my mom, who made a similar recipe with a box of store-bought mac and cheese and smoked sausage. While it’s entirely made from scratch, this version still comes together in about 30 minutes and doesn’t require any canned soups.
I used broccoli because I think that it’s a perfect companion for the skillet mac and cheese, but you can substitute with almost any other vegetables that your family enjoys. A can of drained diced tomatoes or some frozen peas would also be delicious! Take this idea and make it your own with your family’s preferred ingredients.
Ingredient Notes and Tips for Success
- I use fresh broccoli here, but you can sub with frozen broccoli florets if that’s what’s available.
- Hillshire Farm’s smoked sausage or kielbasa is my kids’ favorite, but andouille sausage, smoked turkey sausage, or even hot dogs will also work!
- Use blocks of cheese that you grate by hand. Do not use pre-shredded cheese in a package, because those packaged shredded cheeses include a powdery coating with stabilizers that prevent the cheese from melting smoothly.
- The recipe calls for sharp cheddar and smoked gouda, but you can use just about any good melting cheeses that you prefer. For instance, mild cheddar, gruyere, fontina, Colby, and Monterey Jack would all work well. You can even throw in some (gasp!) American cheese — good old Velveeta! — if that’s what your family enjoys.
Directions
This smoked sausage pasta skillet comes together quickly, so have your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking! You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Boil the pasta and broccoli; then drain. You can do this in the same pot of boiling water, adding the broccoli for the final few minutes. So convenient! Just remember to salt the water before boiling your pasta. This is your chance to season the noodles for a flavorful dish!
- Brown the sausage and onion in a large skillet or Dutch oven. Wipe out the skillet.
- Whisk together the sauce for the skillet mac and cheese.
- Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, sausage, and onion to the sauce and toss to coat.
- Garnish the cheesy, creamy smoked sausage pasta with fresh parsley, other herbs, or crushed red pepper flakes. Serve immediately!
What to Serve with Smoked Sausage and Pasta
This dish is basically a one-skillet meal since it includes pasta, meat, and veggies. That said, if you’d like to round out the dinner with some additional sides, it’s great with a simple green salad dressed in pepper jelly vinaigrette or creamy buttermilk dressing; a tomato cucumber onion salad during warm summer growing months; this tangy cucumber salad with vinegar (my mom’s classic recipe!); or a carrot raisin salad for a hint of contrasting sweetness. For the bread basket, try Aunt Bee’s 3-ingredient biscuit recipe, cast iron cornbread, cornbread muffins, pumpkin bread, or these wildly popular one-bowl pumpkin muffins.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- This particular smoked sausage mac and cheese is best served immediately, so I do not recommend preparing the dish in advance.
- How to Store: If you have leftovers, it will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Smoked sausage pasta does not freeze well, since the cream-based sauce has a tendency to “break” or separate when thawed.
- How to Reheat: Place the smoked sausage pasta in a saucepan or skillet. The pasta and sauce will dry out a bit as it sits, so it’s helpful to add a splash of milk or cream and a little bit of butter to the pan. Then warm over low heat, just until it reaches the desired temperature. Stir regularly and the sauce should become smooth again!
We loved this recipe! My picky 4 year old actually asked for seconds and couldn’t stop telling us how good it was! Thanks for a great one!
– Amanda
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Smoked Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (about 8 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups coarsely chopped broccoli florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 13 ounces smoked sausage (such as kielbasa), sliced into rounds
- ½ cup finely-diced onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups half-and-half cream
- 8 ounces (about 2 cups) sharp cheddar cheese, grated
- 4 ounces (about 1 cup) smoked gouda cheese, grated
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, according to package instructions. During the final 3 minutes of cooking time, add the broccoli florets to the boiling water with the pasta. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta and broccoli are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the sausage rounds and the diced onion. Cook, stirring regularly, until the sausage is browned and the onion is tender, about 5-7 minutes. Remove sausage and onions from the skillet and set aside on a plate. Wipe out the skillet.
- Add butter to the skillet and cook, stirring, until the butter melts. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for one more minute. Gradually whisk in the half-and-half. Cook and stir until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low; add the cheddar, gouda, and dry mustard; stir until the cheeses melt. Add cooked macaroni, broccoli, sausage and onion back to the skillet; toss to combine. Garnish with parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Variations
- Substitute a different short pasta for the macaroni. Small shells, rotini, or penne all work well.
- Cajun Smoked Sausage Pasta: add some Cajun seasoning or Creole seasoning to the cheese sauce and use andouille smoked sausage.
- If you don’t want to use smoked gouda, you can substitute with additional cheddar cheese or use a different melting cheese like Colby, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack cheese, or mozzarella cheese.
- For a lighter dish, substitute whole milk (or even 2% milk) for the half-and-half. If you like it richer, use heavy cream.
- Swap out the broccoli and stir in frozen peas instead. A can of drained, diced tomatoes, a can of Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies, sauteed sliced mushrooms or zucchini would also be nice additions to the skillet.
- For another pasta with broccoli recipe, try this pesto cream pasta with chicken.
More Hillshire Farms Smoked Sausage Recipes
“Country Comfort” Smoked Sausage Casserole
50 minutes mins
Sausage and Bean Soup
1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Sausage and Cabbage
35 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in March, 2021. It was updated in January, 2025.
Oh, does this recipe look so good!!! Comfort food for sure! Will definitely be trying this soon and let you know how much we enjoyed it…. 🙂 Thanks!
Excellent! I hope you love it, Tess! 🙂
Had no taste
We’re sorry you didn’t enjoy it, Susan! You can always adjust the seasonings to suit your preferences.
We loved this recipe! My picky 4 year old actually asked for seconds and couldn’t stop telling us how good it was! Thanks for a great one!
I’m so glad to hear that! The best compliment is when a picky child (or husband) loves a meal! 🙂
It’s on our menu this week, too. Thanks for your note, Amanda!
The absolute best recipe I have found in years!! I go exactly by the recipe.
I make this once every few months it’s always a hit with my family.
We’re so happy to hear this, Jessica!
Made this tonight since I had a bog bag of florets and wanted something new. Had everything already. Used Cajun sausage tho. This was really good! I’ll try it with smoked sausage next time. Definitely a keeper. I did use about 2 cups broccoli.
Awesome! Thank you, Tiffany!
Yum! I had some pesto gouda to use up that I found at Costco and this worked great. Thanks for the tips about using different cheeses!
Wonderful! So glad that you enjoyed it, Sarah. Thank you!
This was SO GOOD!! Reminded me a bit of broccoli and cheese soup (with sausage.) My kids, 5 and 8, cleared their plates without one complaint – amazing. I did use a Cajun style andouille sausage which I thought gave it some nice flavor. Will definitely be making again.
Thank you, Kelly. That’s a huge honor that your little ones approved, too! 🙂
Could you use fresh spinach in place of the broccoli. Have all of the ingredients but the broccoli. Where/when would you add the spinach?
Absolutely! That would be a good substitute. The fresh spinach will wilt almost as soon as it hits the hot pan, so you can wait and stir it in at the very end —- at the same time that you stir in the cooked pasta and sausage. Hope you enjoy!
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Went straight by the recipe. Used one crown of broccoli. Hillshire Farm smoked sausage. Smoked gouda and sharp cheddar..
I’ve tried so many new recipes and have been disappointed but this one DID NOT disappoint! Going into my favorites.
That’s wonderful to hear, Cindy. Thanks for taking the time to let us know!
Great Recipe
Thank you so much, Dee!
Can you use cheese sauce instead?
Hi Tim,
We haven’t tested this recipe with cheese sauce. It should work, but the taste and texture will be slightly altered. Please let us know how it goes if you do!
I used nacho cheese sauce mixed with pepper Jack and it works! Makes it very cheesy. Very delicious! I will be making this again!!
That’s awesome! Thanks for letting us know, Chris. I’m so glad that you enjoyed it.
Awesomely good!!! Easy and simple to make. Another use for grandparents cast iron skillets!!!!!
Thank you so much, Floyd! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
So dang yummy! So dang easy. Done in 30 mins or less. The onions give it a special flavor, as does the smoked sausage.
Thank you, Dana! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Made it tonight. Wouldn’t change a thing! So delicious!
Thank you so much, Kristine!
Great tasting combination! I am a bit lazy, so I substituted the homemade macaroni and cheese with Kraft mac & cheese and it was still delicious!
Thank you, Sandy! We’re glad it turned out well for you!
It was So nasty I would not make it again. Waste of food and time
The absolute best recipe I have found in years!!!
Thanks, Cindy. I’m so happy to hear that!
This is delicious. I will definitely make this again!
Thank you, Cheryl!
Ok, I’m a novice cook. But there are couple of ingredients on the list that say “8 ounces (about 2 cups). Isn’t a cup 8 ounces, so that would be 16 ounces for the recipe?? Thanks!
You’re correct with mot measurements, but pasta is lighter!
I don’t know if I did something wrong but the cheese is way too thick, almost gross to eat and I just feel like I’m eating grease
We’re sorry to hear this, Emma! This is one of our most popular recipes. Without having more information, it’s difficult to tell what could have gone wrong, but we’re happy to help troubleshoot if you ever want to try it out again! We hope you continue to enjoy our other recipes.
Oh WOW. I followed it exactly but with cheddar smoked sausage bc it’s what I had. The smoky flavor infuses throughout the whole dish and the cheese sauce is so creamy and satisfying! The Dutch oven gave it a special touch bc it saved all the good onion stuff that didn’t wipe out and added even more flavor, and we don’t like onions but don’t skip them I promise you’ll enjoy it! Definitely going in the rotation, thank you!
We’re so lad you enjoyed it, Renee! We will have to try it with the cheddar sausage, too.
yummy yumy trying this recipe today
We hope you enjoy, Gary!
So good, quick and super easy!
Thank you, Pam!