Sausage skillet pasta is a delicious and satisfying meal.
Sometimes you just need pasta. This recipe doesn’t even involve a separate pot of boiling water for the pasta. The macaroni cooks right in the skillet, taking on all the flavor.
A craveable pasta dish also needs some melty cheese. Mozzarella and tomatoes give a bit of a lasagna vibe with way less time and work.
Elements:
Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onions and garlic.
Onion: I typically use red onions; white or yellow onions work great.
Garlic: Garlic is essential with pasta, tomatoes, and cheese.
Turkey Sausage: We are using cooked sausage such as this or this. You can use mild or hot sausage. The last time I made it, I used an Andouille-style turkey sausage. I usually use Andouille in jambalaya. It adds a little heat. Use any sausage you like.
Chicken Stock: I always use low-sodium. The pasta cooks in the stock.
Diced Tomatoes: I used half of a 14.5-ounce can of diced tomatoes. A large, diced tomato would also work great.
Milk: I use almond milk or 1% milk; whatever you have on hand will be fine.
Elbow Macaroni: Most famous for mac & cheese, this little pasta is also perfect in this skillet dinner.
Salt & Black Pepper: Enhances the flavor. The sausage, stock, and canned tomatoes will also contain some sodium, so you likely wouldn’t need a lot of salt.
Mozzarella Cheese: A layer of melted mozzarella cheese is the perfect finishing touch.
Preparation
Heat oil in a large skillet. I use a nonstick skillet. Add the onion and sliced sausage, and sauté until the onions begin to soften and the sausage starts to brown.
Add garlic and stir for a minute. Next, the stock, tomatoes, milk, and elbow macaroni are added. Give the dish a big stir and heat to a heavy simmer. I like to stir a few times with the pasta cooks, but at this point, the dish is pretty hands-off.
Add a good shake of pepper and salt if needed. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover the skillet and let the cheese melt.
Serve immediately and enjoy! I like to serve with a roasted veggie such as green beans.
Sausage Skillet Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 6 oz turkey sausage thinly sliced *see note
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ½ 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes or one large tomato, diced
- ¼ cup milk
- ¾ cup elbow macaroni
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sausage, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Stir in chicken stock, tomatoes, milk and pasta; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a heavy simmer. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until pasta is cooked through. This process takes about 15 minutes.
- Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Cover until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.
- Plate and enjoy.