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    Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage

    By Julia | Updated: Mar 03, 2018 | Published: Oct 18, 2017 | 135 Comments

    297.6K shares
    • Facebook2.0K
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    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.

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    This creamy sausage pasta is a great recipe to try with the savory smoked sausage.

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    The recipe easily feeds 4 people, or makes an easy weeknight dinner for two, with leftovers for next day's lunch.

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    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.

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    4.78 from 314 votes

    Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage

    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.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 30 minutes mins
    Total Time 50 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, Italian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories per serving 602 kcal
    Author: Julia

    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)
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    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

    WHAT IS HALF AND HALF? Half and half is half milk half cream. To make 1 cup of half and half, combine ½ cup milk and ½ cup heavy cream or heavy whipping cream.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    602
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    33
    g
    51
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    15
    g
    94
    %
    Cholesterol
     
    87
    mg
    29
    %
    Sodium
     
    620
    mg
    27
    %
    Potassium
     
    599
    mg
    17
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    52
    g
    17
    %
    Fiber
     
    2
    g
    8
    %
    Sugar
     
    4
    g
    4
    %
    Protein
     
    22
    g
    44
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    610
    IU
    12
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    4.5
    mg
    5
    %
    Calcium
     
    265
    mg
    27
    %
    Iron
     
    2.1
    mg
    12
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    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.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Tammie

      April 28, 2025 at 3:42 pm

      I made this for my family and it has become a favorite of ours to make for dinners. Almost every time I ask for dinner ideas, the kids request "sausage pasta" and it's so easy to make! Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I'm sure it will be one we continue to make for a long time.

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 08, 2025 at 5:02 pm

        Hi Tammie! I love that the kids request it by name! Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Bekah

      February 09, 2024 at 12:37 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 09, 2024 at 8:23 pm

        Wow, Bekah, so glad this recipe turned out great for you - thank you for your 5-star review, I really appreciate it! ❤️

        Reply
        • ELLIOT A PLATT

          November 18, 2024 at 9:04 am

          Can I ground my sausage instead of using circles? Just wondering?

          Reply
          • Julia

            November 20, 2024 at 11:43 pm

            Yes, you can! That will be very delicious!

            Reply
    3. Sandy

      January 30, 2024 at 7:22 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 31, 2024 at 10:23 pm

        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.

        Reply
    4. Jamie

      November 06, 2023 at 7:50 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 07, 2023 at 12:22 pm

        Jamie, I am so happy this recipe was a success! ❤️ Thank you for taking the time to share your review and 5-star rating! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Shelby

      October 25, 2023 at 7:26 pm

      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?

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 26, 2023 at 1:51 pm

        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! 🙂

        Reply
    6. Scott Longland

      June 19, 2023 at 5:56 pm

      Excellent recipe, we added fresh basil from a plant on our table, and the meal was absolutely delicious.

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 23, 2023 at 9:10 pm

        Scott, fresh herbs (basil in this case) make dishes so much tastier! Great addition!

        Reply
    7. Jessica Bugarin

      June 05, 2023 at 7:04 pm

      Needed a dinner recipe with smoked sausage and this was perfect. My teenage son approves. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 6:54 pm

        Jessica, I am very glad everyone enjoyed this dish! ❤️

        Reply
    8. Lori

      May 29, 2023 at 10:09 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Lori

        May 29, 2023 at 10:12 pm

        I forgot to leave my 5 stars.

        Reply
        • Julia

          June 07, 2023 at 7:22 pm

          ❤️

          Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 7:23 pm

        Lori, thank you for trying this recipe! And thank you for the feedback that oat milk worked just fine - good to know!

        Reply
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    Hi, I'm Julia!

    I am a full-time food blogger living in beautiful Colorado. I focus primarily on savory recipes (protein-based & fiber-rich main dishes, pasta, salads) using fresh & seasonal ingredients. A food blogger since 2012, I help home cooks create well-balanced and visually appealing dinners (many of which are 30-minute ONE-PAN meals). Find out more about me and my cooking philosophy. 

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