Cheesy Pasta and Sausage + Video
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Cheesy Pasta and Sausage is a family favorite comfort food meal. This amazing one pot pasta recipe cooks in one pot, and in only 20 minutes!!
A creamy, cheesy tomato basil sauce cooks right into the linguine pasta in this amazing Italian meal! Toss everything in a pot and let it cook. It’s so easy, it just about cooks itself. Now that’s my kind of meal!
I am constantly on the hunt for quicker and simpler ways to feed my family in a healthier manner. 30-minute meals and one pot dinners are big around here.
Even Christmas dinner, which used to be an all-day affair, is now prepared in 30 minutes, unless it’s made a crockpot.
In my quest for quick and easy dinners, one-pot meals have been spectacular for me. Only one pot to wash – yahoo!! So, last year I saw this one-pot pasta recipe all over the web.
This comfort food meal is amazing! You literally toss all of the ingredients in a pot and everything cooks together. Toss in some fresh herbs and cheese at the end, and serve.
RECIPE VIDEO
Watch the video below to see us make the cheesy sausage pasta!
One Pot Cheesy Pasta and Sausage
Oh, my heavens. this cheesy pasta and sausage is the perfect meal. Tomatoes, basil, ooey-gooey cheese, and sausage come together to create the perfect sauce for the pasta.
It is so flavorful that Chad and I ate two bowls each. Even Munchkin loved it, and I am sure you will too.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Use your favorite sausage. I prefer Italian sausage links, but you can use your favorite.
- For more flavor, you can use reduced-sodium chicken broth in place of the water for even more flavor.
- Want a different type of pasta? You can substitute 1 pound of any dry pasta for the spaghetti. Fettucine and linguine are great options. Just cook it to al dente… this Italian phrase means, “with a slight bite to it.”
QUICK KITCHEN HACK – Slicing Small Tomatoes
1. Grab 2 storage container lids that are the same size. They don’t have to be round, and you can use any size lid, as long as it has a lip around the edge. You can even use small appetizer plates from your kitchen.
2. Place lids with the lip facing up, so you have an edge that will hold your food. Fill one lid with cherry or grape tomatoes. Place the 2nd lid on top of the tomatoes with the lip facing down.
3. Firmly press down on the top lid, but not so hard that you squish your tomatoes. The two lips will hold the tomatoes in place, so they do not roll off the lid.
4. Slide your serrated knife between the lids and carefully slice through them. Watch your fingers. And voila – you have a plate full of sliced tomatoes in a blink!
Kitchen Tools for One-Pot Cheesy Pasta and Sausage:
- 4 Quart Braising Pan – this is my favorite cookware to use for one-pot meals like this cheesy pasta and sausage. The spaghetti fits completely inside without having to break it in half, so you can put the lid on.
- Tongs – I love this set of 3. I use every pair of them. They are so handy and grip amazingly well!
Enjoy!
With love from our simple kitchen to yours.
Get Free Recipes Sent to Your Email
Do you ❤️ TSRI? Don’t miss another recipe!
Subscribe to The Slow Roasted Italian by email to receive new recipes in your inbox!!
Don’t miss a thing! Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Instagram
Other One Pot Pasta Recipes
Check out these other fantastic, one skillet meals ready in 30 minutes or less!
Cheesy Pasta and Sausage + Video
Equipment
- dutch oven or other 6-8 quart pot
Ingredients
- 3 cups grape tomatoes, cut in half and divided
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 pound smoked Italian sausage links, precooked and sliced into coins
- 20-30 basil leaves, divided
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 pound dry linguine, (See Notes)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 4 1/2 cups water, or beef or chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Set aside 1 cup halved tomatoes, 10 basil leaves, and all of the Parmesan cheese.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a 12-inch braising pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, remove the cover and cook 7-9 minutes, or until pasta is al dente (with a bite to it). Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep the pasta from sticking. The liquid will be mostly absorbed when pasta is finished cooking.
- Add cheese and toss to combine. Cheese may clump at first, but will melt into the sauce after a few minutes. Toss in remaining tomatoes and basil before serving.
Video
Donna’s Notes
- Use your favorite sausage. I prefer Italian sausage links.
- You can substitute 1 pound of any type of dry pasta for the spaghetti. Linguine and fettucine are great options. Just be sure to cook the pasta to al dente (meaning, with a slight bite to it).
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published March 2014. Updated and republished June 2022.
Disclosure: Posts may contain affiliate links. If you purchase a product through an affiliate link your price will remain the same and The Slow Roasted Italian will automatically receive a small commission. Thank you for your support; it allows us to keep creating new recipes.
Picked up a pack of chicken sausages last week and they were sun-dried tomato flavored. So totally had to use it for this dish. It turned out wonderfully! Even without the basil (forgot to pick it up from the store). Served it with a tossed salad and toasted garlic bread.
OMG…thought we were back in Italy on vacation. This was so darn good! Did use hot Italian sausage that I pre cooked before the rest of the ingredients, but I will be making this again and again and again. Husband and adult son loved it immensely. Thank you sooooo much. Have entered my email to get on your list and following you now on Pinterest. Love, love, love your website.
Delish, but would use turkey keilbasa, much lower in fat and tasty
Kielbasa in an Italian Dish ? No!
Pre-cooked Italian perhaps!
I switched the pasta for spaghetti squash used turkey sausage and addded olives then baked it in my panini pot. I wander sure about the water since it was mainly for the pasta, but I added a quarter cup just to be cautious. So delicious!! I'm glad I bought enough to make it a second time ��
trying this one tonight. after a long day at work and tired of fast food, this might serve 2 a couple nights and lunch….
This looks SO good…. will be dinner tomorrow night! I do have one question though. I don't have fresh basil, so can I use the dried basil from my spice rack and if so, how much would you suggest? Sorry if it's a dumb question but I'm just getting into the swing of cooking. 😀
This dish quickly became a favourite for myself and the other half. As we've made it, I've tweaked the recipe a bit and thought I would share with others what we've done, just in case someone else is adventurous like me in the kitchen!
To start, we have never found good pre-cooked sausages, so we start with raw mild Italian sausages and brown them in the pan we use for the dish. I actually overcook them a little, ensuring they brown nicely before I coin them. Instead of wasting all that lovely flavour, I add a cup of white or cooking wine into the pan and let that set while I prep the rest of the ingredients (tomatoes, onions, basil, etc). I then add a healthy sprinkling of red pepper flakes and a cube of chicken stock (the kind I buy uses one cube per two cups of water). Instead of adding the full amount of water as listed, I add the remainder, minus the cup of wine from earlier, combining all the ingredients in the pan as directed, following the remainder of the recipe as written.
There are some occasions where I'll add a spoonful or two of spaghetti sauce to really amp up the tomato flavour, but honestly, this dish does a great job of letting the cherry/grape tomatoes do all the flavouring for you! Also, we always use linguine, because it's our favourite.
I've wondered if perhaps adding some button mushrooms to this might make it even better, but even just following the recipe as is really does turn out beautifully. For those more adventurous, this is a great base recipe that you can add your own pizzazz to! Happy cooking, everyone!
Has anyone tried using the canned Italian flavored diced tomatoes instead of the cherry tomatoes and fresh basil?
could you also please put the quantities in metric for us Europeans?
I am not basil or spinach fan. Would broccoli work in this recipe?
No. The basil is what flavours the dish and broccoli would not lend a proper flavour to an italian-inspired dish.
Off to the grocery store now……after browsing the recipies I got hungry
I've made this several times and it's a household favorite. It doesn't make the greatest leftovers though. I've also made it just using dried basil and it is great!
Best dinner EVER!
One of my favorite recipes now. Everyone raves about it!
I made two alterations, for dietary reasons: uncooked Italian sausage and substitute cremini mushrooms for the onion. I cooked the sausage in the pot, removed it, and cooked the mushrooms in the sausage drippings. I followed the recipe as given after that. It was delicious and my whole family loved it!
Made this for dinner tonight with my 12 yr old and it was fantastic. We used the fully cooked and packaged chicken sausage over by tbe deli meat at the grocery store and one can of chicken broth and the rest water and it was fantastic.
Made this tonight with ground Italian sausage. I used two cans regular sized diced tomatoes, and 4 cups broth. Flavor was great, but sauce was a little thin. Definitely a keeper!
This recipe is Amazing. My Family enjoyed it so much. So easy to make. Thanks so much
Hi Sheila,
We are so happy to hear your family enjoyed it! Thank you for the star rating! Enjoy your day.
TSRI Team Member,
Holli