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    Creamy Mozzarella Pasta with Smoked Sausage

    Published: Oct 18, 2017 / 93 Comments

    257.2K shares
    • Facebook1.7K
    Recipe Print

    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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    4.76 from 138 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
    Prep Time 20 mins
    Cook Time 30 mins
    Total Time 50 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)

    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.

    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.

    Tried this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment and provide a Star Rating below - I love your feedback and try to respond to every comment!
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    Please share your comment and Star Rating in the comments section below.

    I appreciate your feedback!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Veronica

      May 11, 2022 at 11:02 am

      The picture shows a green spice on the top is that scallions or basil

      Reply
    2. Justina

      March 23, 2022 at 4:38 pm

      I use dice Tomatoes didn’t have sun-dried tomatoes which hopefully it comes out OK is that OK to use

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 29, 2022 at 6:13 pm

        Yes, diced tomatoes should work just fine. The flavor will be different but still delicious!

        Reply
    3. Tj

      March 10, 2022 at 12:49 pm

      Hi , I was going to make this recipe but I don’t have the sun dried tomatoes is there anything else I can substitute it for?

      Reply
      • Julia

        March 21, 2022 at 11:35 pm

        You can use roasted red bell peppers. Or, mushrooms.

        Reply
    4. Del

      November 11, 2021 at 12:54 pm

      Tasty and fast to put together, will make again.

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 18, 2021 at 4:40 pm

        So glad you liked it! 🙂

        Reply
      • Wendy A

        November 20, 2021 at 5:22 pm

        Delicious!

        Reply
        • Julia

          November 20, 2021 at 5:31 pm

          Thanks! 🙂

          Reply
    5. DEENA L ISHAM

      August 12, 2021 at 1:46 pm

      Very easy to make and tasted awesome. I added ground cayenne pepper instead of using red pepper flakes. Will definitely make this again.

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 12, 2021 at 7:30 pm

        Deena, I am glad you liked it! 🙂

        Reply
        • Rob

          August 31, 2021 at 5:27 pm

          Is there a video for this?

          Reply
          • Julia

            September 22, 2021 at 5:13 pm

            Not yet. But coming soon!

            Reply
    6. Ashley

      July 08, 2021 at 9:08 pm

      Delicious! Thank you for a quick easy recipe!

      Reply
      • Julia

        July 13, 2021 at 5:50 pm

        Ashley, you are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!

        Reply
        • Brianna

          September 26, 2021 at 6:37 pm

          I made this and followed the recipe, it was soooo bland I had to season it. Also tuned grainy… Would make this again with a different recipe

          Reply
          • Julia

            September 27, 2021 at 1:52 pm

            So sorry to hear that! To avoid the grainy texture, here are my suggestions:

            1) Use low-moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese that's never been frozen. Freezing the cheese and subsequently using it might result in a grainy texture.

            2) Bring the cream to a quick boil and IMMEDIATELY reduce to a low simmer.

            3) Use heavy cream instead of half-and-half next time.

            Reply
          • Lucy

            October 25, 2021 at 6:10 pm

            What is half and half please

            Reply
            • Julia

              October 26, 2021 at 3:51 pm

              Half-and-half is a US milk product (half milk, half heavy cream).

              If you don't have it, just use regular cream - in my case, it would be heavy cream (that's cream with about 36% of milk fat content). Or use half amount of heavy cream (36% fat content) + half amount of regular milk.

    7. Valerie Hatley

      June 22, 2021 at 9:54 pm

      Absolutely tasteless and awful....followed to a T......the sausage was good, but everything else was unbelievably bland....dogs didn't even want it, except for the sausage....

      Reply
      • Sass hole

        July 06, 2021 at 6:31 pm

        You’re tasteless. Go away

        Reply
      • Jamie

        July 21, 2021 at 6:34 pm

        This is considered a basic top to a GREAT recipe. It allows you to adjust the flavor by adding in spices and vegetables to your desired taste. Anyone who cooks would realize that.

        Reply
        • Michele

          September 25, 2021 at 6:49 pm

          Yes I agree 100%. Most of the time I adjust seasonings or veggies in a recipe to my taste. This is a fantastic base recipe.

          Reply
          • Julia

            September 27, 2021 at 2:11 pm

            Glad you liked this recipe! 🙂

            Reply
      • Annie

        August 02, 2021 at 10:09 am

        Wow...didnt your Mother teach you that if you have nothing nice to say...just be quiet? Seriously uncalled for rudeness! I hope you don't talk to your family so unkind!

        Reply
        • Tammy

          September 28, 2021 at 10:43 pm

          I'm not sure who posted its bland. I think its delicious. Not sure what I did though, my sauce seized up and separated like. It's not creamy like yours looks. But is still is good. Thank you, finally a new dish my teenager likes.

          Reply
          • Julia

            September 29, 2021 at 2:51 pm

            Glad you enjoyed it! Sorry to hear about the sauce.
            Let's troubleshoot:

            1) Did you use low-moisture, part-skim Mozzarella cheese (pre-shredded) that's never been frozen? Not the fresh Mozzarella cheese?
            2) Did you boil the sauce on higher heat for longer than a minute?

            Reply
      • Sandra

        September 02, 2021 at 10:12 am

        Your comment was uncalled for!! If can’t say some nice don’t say anything!!

        Reply
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