Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage - Italian style pasta dinner that looks good and tastes great! Short penne pasta with thinly sliced smoked sausage are smothered in a delicious creamy sauce made with garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, half and half, and Mozzarella cheese.
This creamy sausage pasta is a great recipe to try with the savory smoked sausage.
The recipe easily feeds 4 people, or makes an easy weeknight dinner for two, with leftovers for next day's lunch.
What makes this smoked sausage pasta especially tasty is that first you cook sliced sausage for about 4 minutes, letting it release juices, and then you incorporate these juices into the creamy sauce, making the pasta dish spicier and more flavorful.
Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 0.4 lb smoked sausage , sliced (I used Gyulai Smoked Sausage)
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes , without oil, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 ½ cups half and half
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 8 oz penne pasta
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add sliced sausage, cook for 4 minutes, about 2 minutes on each side. Sausage will release its own juice. Remove sausage from the skillet.
- To the same skillet, add chopped sun-dried tomatoes and minced garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, constantly stirring.
- Add half and half. Bring to boil. Add cheese, reduce heat, and keep stirring until the cheese melts. Bring heat to medium, if needed, to melt the cheese, then reduce to simmer.
- Cook pasta, drain.
- Add cooked and drained pasta and sausage back to the skillet with the sauce. Stir. Add pepper flakes.
- Note: I did not have to add salt, as the smoked sausage is already salty and provides enough saltiness. Add salt to taste, if needed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I was a bit skeptical this just seemed too easy and too basic but I was in need of a quick pasta dish to use my kielbasa sausage in. And this was such a hit! It was so fast and easy and my kids all really enjoyed it! It’s part of my dinner rotation now. Thanks.
Wow, Bekah, so glad this recipe turned out great for you - thank you for your 5-star review, I really appreciate it! ❤️
This was by far THE WORST pasta recipe I’ve ever made. I used shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim, low moisture) that was room temp and it coagulated into clumps. I’ve made plenty of mac & cheese and other pasta dishes with no issues. What a waste of food and time. My guess is the 1/2 & 1/2 instead of HWC. Horrible horrible
Sandy, you can try this with heavy cream instead of half-and-half next time. My other advice is to bring shredded Mozzarella cheese to room temperature before adding it to the sauce (take the cheese out of the fridge 30 minutes before using it) - it will melt better that way.
Thank you for this recipe. It was easy and delicious. We always vote if it is a make again receipe and we all agreed we would make again.
Jamie, I am so happy this recipe was a success! ❤️ Thank you for taking the time to share your review and 5-star rating! 🙂
Very delicious! I did not have tomatoes but made this anyways. I also doubled the recipe for my family. The sauce turned out pretty watery. Any suggestions for next time so this doesn’t happen? Would the tomatoes have sucked up any juice?
Shelby, I am glad you enjoyed this recipe! ❤️
About the watery sauce, here are some suggestions:
1) Did you use shredded mozzarella cheese (part-skim, low moisture), not the fresh one (Mozzarella balls or logs)?
2) Bring the shredded mozzarella to room temperature - take it out of the fridge first thing when making this recipe and place it close to your cooking surfaces so that it warms up. Warmer cheese melts much easily than refrigerator cold cheese.
3) Use 1 cup of heavy cream instead of half-and-half next time.
4) Bring heavy cream to a boil on high heat for a couple of seconds, then reduce to visible simmer. Add cheese while the heavy cream visible boils on the lowest setting (simmer). If the heavy cream doesn't boil - the cheese won't melt properly.
Enjoy! 🙂
Excellent recipe, we added fresh basil from a plant on our table, and the meal was absolutely delicious.
Scott, fresh herbs (basil in this case) make dishes so much tastier! Great addition!
Needed a dinner recipe with smoked sausage and this was perfect. My teenage son approves. Thank you!
Jessica, I am very glad everyone enjoyed this dish! ❤️
I needed a quick meal to make with my smoked sausage. I happily found this recipe! I didn’t have any half and half, so used Oat Milk. I also added some spinach. So delicious! I can’t wait to make it exactly like the recipe. So quick and easy too.
I forgot to leave my 5 stars.
❤️
Lori, thank you for trying this recipe! And thank you for the feedback that oat milk worked just fine - good to know!