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    Mac and Cheese with Sausage and Bell Peppers (30-Minute, One-Pan Recipe)

    By Julia | Updated: Dec 09, 2022 | Published: May 21, 2015 | 245 Comments

    594.7K shares
    • Facebook6.9K
    Jump to Recipe Print SaveSaved!
    This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.

    Homemade mac and cheese with sausage and bell peppers smothered in marinara sauce and cream.  This skillet mac and cheese is a perfect weeknight family dinner as it takes only 30 minutes and is made in one pan!

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    In this mac and cheese recipe, everything is cooked in one skillet: sausage, bell peppers, and even pasta! The clean-up after dinner is super easy! This dish will become your family's favorite!

    easy mac and cheese recipe, easy homemade mac and cheese

    I've made this homemade mac and cheese with sausage and bell peppers a couple of weeks ago as my lunch to take to work - and it was so good and easy to make!

    How to make skillet mac and cheese

    First, start by cooking sausage on medium heat, in a large skillet until the meat is brown. Drain off fat. Then, add diced bell peppers:

    cooking sausage and bell peppers for mac and cheese recipe

    Next, add dried elbow macaroni, marinara sauce, and water:

    add macaroni to sausage, bell peppers and tomato sauce

    Bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until macaroni is tender, occasionally stirring. Add half and half, sprinkle with cheese, and mix everything well. Remove from heat, cover and let it sit for about 2 minutes or until the cheese melts:

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    Your pasta is ready to serve: only 45 minutes from start to finish!

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    Skillet Mac and Cheese
    4.70 from 292 votes

    Mac and Cheese with Sausage and Bell Peppers (30-Minute, One-Pan Recipe)

    In this homemade mac and cheese recipe, everything is cooked in one skillet: sausage, bell peppers, and even pasta!  This delicious red sauce macaroni and cheese will become your new family favorite! 
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save RecipeSaved!
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 20 minutes mins
    Total Time 30 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories per serving 437 kcal
    Author: Julia

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb pork sausage
    • 2 bell peppers diced
    • 8 oz elbow macaroni uncooked
    • 18 oz marinara sauce
    • 18 oz water
    • ⅓ cup half and half
    • ⅓ cup mozzarella cheese

    Instructions 

    • In a large skillet cook sausage on medium heat, until meat is brown. Drain off fat.
    • Add diced bell peppers, dried elbow macaroni, marinara sauce, and water. Bring to boil; reduce heat to simmer. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes until macaroni is tender, occasionally stirring.
    • Add half and half, sprinkle with cheese, and mix everything well. Remove from heat, cover and let it sit for about 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

    Notes

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

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Information
    Mac and Cheese with Sausage and Bell Peppers (30-Minute, One-Pan Recipe)
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    437
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    24
    g
    37
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    9
    g
    56
    %
    Trans Fat
     
    0.2
    g
    Polyunsaturated Fat
     
    3
    g
    Monounsaturated Fat
     
    10
    g
    Cholesterol
     
    64
    mg
    21
    %
    Sodium
     
    939
    mg
    41
    %
    Potassium
     
    631
    mg
    18
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    36
    g
    12
    %
    Fiber
     
    3
    g
    13
    %
    Sugar
     
    6
    g
    7
    %
    Protein
     
    20
    g
    40
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    1757
    IU
    35
    %
    Vitamin C
     
    57
    mg
    69
    %
    Calcium
     
    78
    mg
    8
    %
    Iron
     
    2
    mg
    11
    %
    * 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.

    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!
    « Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Pasta with Bell Peppers, Asparagus, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
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    594.7K shares
    • Facebook6.9K

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Roly

      August 20, 2024 at 1:53 pm

      What part say Mac and Cheese?No disrespect I'm sure its good. But nothing says ,Mac & Cheese Sorry

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 20, 2024 at 7:25 pm

        Well, it does have macaroni and cheese!

        Reply
    2. Judith

      June 21, 2024 at 10:13 am

      Take sausage out of casings?

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 25, 2024 at 4:46 pm

        Yes, take it out of the casings! I used bulk sausage so it wasn't in casings.

        Reply
    3. Tracey Lauer

      May 17, 2024 at 11:51 am

      This is reallly yummy. Added crushed red pepper and we loved it! Thank you, Julia!

      Reply
      • Julia

        May 17, 2024 at 11:26 pm

        Glad you liked it, Tracey! 🙂

        Reply
    4. Schranz Frigyes

      January 04, 2024 at 8:39 am

      Thanks for the mac and cheese recipe! Big Bang! My son eats this morning, noon and night!

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 04, 2024 at 6:42 pm

        Schranz, sounds like this recipe is a favorite with your son - I am so happy to hear that! ❤️❤️

        Reply
        • Nicole Mckee

          March 09, 2025 at 6:32 pm

          This is my go to easy week night dinner. My husband loves it

          Reply
    5. Melissa Torres

      December 26, 2023 at 8:24 pm

      Great recipe! You can add anything you have on hand to it to spruce it up. The peppers were perfect and then we added red pepper flakes, garlic herb seasoning and pepper. Used cheddar and all enjoyed it.

      Reply
      • Julia

        December 28, 2023 at 1:32 pm

        Melissa, I am so glad you loved this dish! ❤️ Love the addition of red pepper flakes and garlic herb seasoning!

        Reply
    6. Barbara

      November 27, 2023 at 4:36 pm

      Good flavor but I'm not a lover of peppers so for me it had 1 to many peppers. I used mild cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella as that's what I had on hand. It just seems so runny with all the liquids it has in it. But the real test will come when my son decides if he likes it or not. lol

      Reply
      • Julia

        November 28, 2023 at 10:00 am

        Barbara, thank you for trying this recipe - I hope your son likes it! 🙂 If it's too runny, just add gradually a bit more cheese to thicken it up!

        Reply
    7. Amanda

      August 24, 2023 at 9:24 pm

      I just cooked this , it was awesome , loved it , will make again

      Reply
    8. Veronica

      June 18, 2023 at 6:42 pm

      This is a delicious quick easy weekday dinner! I followed the recipe as it is and it turned out great.

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 23, 2023 at 9:12 pm

        Veronica, I am so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂

        Reply
        • Amanda

          August 16, 2023 at 8:42 am

          Made this using ground turkey, small shells and homo milk cause thats what I had on hand. And I added onions and used chicken stock instead of plain water to make up for some missing flavour from the turkey and it was so good. My 3yo keeps going on about how it was delicious. Such a fast meal, 1 pot, using things I usually have on hand. Will make again!

          Reply
          • Lara Somcutean

            September 26, 2024 at 7:36 pm

            Very fast and easy we doubled the cheese I had Italian blend cheese 9n hand also added some cream cheese, next time will add garlic and onion, otherwise a hit!

            Reply
            • Julia

              September 27, 2024 at 12:59 pm

              So glad you loved this recipe, Lara! Adding cream cheese sounds delish!

    9. Gavin

      May 23, 2023 at 2:00 pm

      This looks amazingly nummy yummy. Gonna throw down on it tonight

      Reply
      • Julia

        June 07, 2023 at 7:46 pm

        Gavin, I hope you enjoyed it!

        Reply
    10. Sandy

      January 30, 2023 at 5:47 pm

      This was so easy and fast to make and the best part...my family loved it! It will be a regular meal at this house!

      Reply
      • Julia

        February 13, 2023 at 7:51 pm

        Sandy, thank you for taking the time to share such a positive comment - it made my day! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Suzyn

      January 07, 2023 at 9:07 pm

      I made this tonight and it was a huge hit! The teenager ate seconds, so this will make it into our rotation! When I make this again for more people I will do more than the double batch I made tonight.

      Reply
      • Julia

        January 07, 2023 at 10:04 pm

        Suzyn, I am so glad you tried this recipe and loved it! 🙂 Thank you for the comment and 5-star review - I really appreciate it! 🙂 🙂

        Reply
        • Nicole Mckee

          June 14, 2023 at 4:32 pm

          This is our easy go to for week night dinner. We both love it!!

          Reply
          • Julia

            June 23, 2023 at 9:25 pm

            Nicole, so glad you love this recipe! ❤️

            Reply
    12. Steve

      October 30, 2022 at 3:26 pm

      Can you freeze this after cooking?

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 30, 2022 at 3:58 pm

        I would cook this recipe but not add the cream and cheese if you would like to freeze it. When you thaw this, reheat this on the stove top until hot, then add the cream and melt the cheese. Otherwise, the cheese-based cream sauces don't freeze well and lose their texture.

        Reply
    13. Nyesha M

      October 02, 2022 at 2:50 pm

      I’ve made this recipe multiple times and would sometimes substitute certain ingredients but it still came out so good. I love it

      Reply
      • Julia

        October 02, 2022 at 5:46 pm

        Nyesha, I am so glad you've enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a positive comment! 🙂

        Reply
    14. Jill

      August 02, 2022 at 6:18 pm

      This is a family favorite. I make this all the time. Only thing I do different is I use great value mushroom spaghetti sauce (its my familys favorite) instead of marinara. Then I add a can of mushrooms. Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Julia

        August 22, 2022 at 4:02 pm

        Jill, I am so happy this recipe is one of your favorites! Thank you for such a positive comment! 🙂

        Reply
      • Nathan Reardon

        January 07, 2024 at 12:35 pm

        This is amazing! My whole family loved it! Will defo be saving this recipe for future!

        Reply
        • Julia

          January 09, 2024 at 11:39 am

          Nathan, I am glad to hear this recipe is worth repeating! 🙂

          Reply
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    Julia is the author of JuliasAlbum.com (a food blog focused on easy dinner recipes, pasta dishes, salads made with seasonal ingredients). In this photo, Julia is pictured wearing a yellow sweater against an Autumn background.

    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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