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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!
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!
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:
Next, add 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 the cheese melts:
Your pasta is ready to serve: only 45 minutes from start to finish!
Mac and Cheese with Sausage and Bell Peppers (30-Minute, One-Pan Recipe)
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
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.
Made this tonight with some slight mods. I used mild turkey sausage, added some crushed red pepper, and omitted the bell peppers. It was quick, easy, and yummy.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was quick, easy and delicious! Next time, I will add something to make it spicy but it was very good as is too! Great recipe!
What kind of marinara sauce would you recommend? Would tomato sauce work? Thanks!
i made this last night it was really quick and easy thanks so much for a great meal ! Everyone said it was good even my 7 year old son who can picky at times. I added more macroni And it was still good and also some black pepper.
Hi,I'm just wondering if I can use Italian sausage for pork sausage and heavy cream for 1/2 n 1/2?
Hi! I was on pinterest looking for a quick easy meal and I found this recipe. Let me just say I NEVER comment on recipes until now. If I hate a recipe I move on and if I really like it I keep it pinned. Woman this recipe is outstanding. I honestly looked at the ingredients and thought it was going to be decent but this blew my mind. Thank you for sharing this! The only changes I made were I added mushrooms and used heavy cream (had it on hand) instead of half and half. Finding a recipe that is this quick, easy and delicious is gold!
THANK YOU FOR SHARING! this was so good, i love the skillet meals
I made this tonight for dinner and it was really good. Everyone loved it and it make plenty. My favorite part was that the pasta cooked in the same pan, no need to boil water and cook the pasta separately. Great recipe!
I found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for my boyfriend. He loved it. We have never eaten pork sausage before but it was amazing! I'm not a big bell pepper fan but my plate was clean in the end. Definitely worth trying!
I followed the recipe as written except I used ground beef instead of pork (we are not huge fans of pork). It was delicious and only took 45 minutes as you indicated. My whole family loved this!
We made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing!!!!
can you use gulten free noodles the same way or cook it first to rinse the starch offf it can get thick and heavy?
This sounds delish! I love 1 pot meals. My mom made this and it really stretched a pound of meat for a large family. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda