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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.
I do not eat dairy products. Do you have any recommendations to modify this?
What are some sides that might go with This dish ?
I'm not a fan of bell peppers but in this recipe I didn't mind it. It was Delicious. I didn't have mozzarella cheese so I added American cheese instead and turned out perfect. I will definitely make this again.
One dish wonders are right up every busy Mom's alley! This dish sounds like it fits the bill perfectly! Thanks for sharing Julia!
I was looking for something to do with ground sausage that was different then what I normally do. I normally just make Zappa Toscana soup or a pasta sauce with it. I found this recipe and tried it tonight. I used whatever peppers I had from my garden and cooked them with garlic for a bit before I added back the browned sausage, water, marinara and macaroni. I used the whole can of marinara sauce which was 24 oz and chopped up a fresh tomato to add as we prefer it a little saucy. I also didn't have any half and half but just used a splash of milk and some cheddar cheese instead of mozeralla. Even with the minor changes it was fantastic. My husband is a Mac and cheese lover and loved this rendition. I always prefer meat in my Mac and cheese so this was great! I really liked the one pot aspect!
Just wondering how well this meal reheats? I was thinking of making it the evening before and serving to a large group the next day. Thanks!
I was skeptical. But this turned out AMAZING!!!!! I used a box of Mac n cheese with mozzarella cheese and turkey. Thank you.
Thank you, Simone! Glad you liked it!
Simple and delicious. Had no pork so I used ground beef. Had no bell pepper so I used onion. Had no half and half so I used milk/butter combo. Still turned out great. Gotta love one-pot recipes. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Karen! 🙂
How would this be adapted for a crock pot?
Never cooked pasta in a crock pot, so would not be able to give an advice on that.
wonderful recipe, the family enjoyed it.
Thank you so much!
Made this tonight, it was amazing. Made it with a little extra cheese, but otherwise just as it was and it turned out great.
Extra cheese is always good! 🙂
Made this tonight. It looked good but was very bland, May make again but next time use some additional spices (allot more),
We use hot sausage really good
Absolutely delicious. Everybody loved. Will definitely be a go to meal at our house. Wish I could figure out how to get the calories and nutritional info.
All I can say it was delicious. I never leave comments but this dish I'll make again. The only thing I changed was I used chicken broth instead of water and chicken sausage instead pork. It came out PERFECT.
Made this and liked how easy it was the cleanup and the preparation was easy. I used ground beef (don't eat pork) added a few different seasonings will be on my home menu now