Cheesy Pasta with Summer Sausage
This dreamy dish boasts tender pasta, sweet vegetables, and smoky sausage in an ultra-cheesy cream sauce! Made in one pot, ready in minutes, and endlessly versatile!
There’s so much flavor in this one-pot meal! And you can thank the sausage for that. Note: Summer sausage isn’t called “summer” because it’s a summer food! Summer sausage is a semi-dry, fully cooked sausage (think salami). There are many, many varieties, which means you can take this dish in many directions!
I used wagyu summer sausage with jalapeno and pepper cheese! The sausage added tremendous flavor and depth to this dish, and eliminated the need for lots of extra ingredients. While summer sausage is excellent when added to charcuterie boards, sandwiches, and salads, it’s also an unbeatable addition to casseroles and one-pot meals like this one. Summer sausage delivers a blast of smoky flavor, plus whatever additional ingredients are added to the meat.
This one-pot meal makes clean-up a breeze! I love one-pot meals for many reasons, and clean-up is just one of them! My favorite part about one-pot pasta meals is the fact that the pasta absorbs all the flavor of the sauce while cooking. You can’t get that from boiled water!
What type of pasta should you use? I used orecchiette because I love how the little cups hold the sauce the tasty bits of vegetables and sausage. That said, any small shape pasta will work, including penne, rigatoni, elbow macaroni, small shells, wagon wheels, and pasta spirals. You can even use broken-up spaghetti noodles.
What type of vegetables should you add to this one-pot meal? That’s totally up to you! I used onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, and spinach. You can certainly add carrots, celery, peas, green beans, and more. Feel free to clean out your produce drawer and freezer for this amazing meal.
I used regular canned diced tomatoes, but you can switch things up. Feel free to use fire-roasted canned tomatoes, petite diced tomatoes, or tomatoes with seasonings, like basil, garlic and oregano.
What should you serve with this meal? Since this one-pot meal features pasta, vegetables, and protein, it’s pretty much complete. If desired, add a mixed green salad and loaf of warm bread on the side.
Cheesy Pasta with Summer Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound summer sausage of choice, cut into bite-size pieces, I used wagyu summer sausage with jalapeno and pepper cheese
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced onion, any color
- 1 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 14.5- ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup water
- 12 ounces dry pasta of choice, I used orecchiette
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach leaves
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, or a combination of cheddar, Monterey jack, and/or mozzarella
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Brown the sausage in a large, high-sided skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside.
- Heat the oil in the same pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and water and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the pasta. Partially cover the pan and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Stir in the spinach. Once the spinach has wilted, stir in the cheese. Cook until the cheese melts. Return the sausage to the pan with any accumulated juices on the plate. Stir until blended. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.