Cheesy Chicken Sausage Pasta Skillet
Creamy, Cheesy Chicken Sausage Pasta Skillet recipe is all made in one skillet and comes together in just 20 minutes!
February has arrived and happy Groundhog day to all! If you know me at all, you know this is a favorite holiday of mine. I am weird like that! January just flew by for me and seemingly never even happened…anyone else? You will love this pasta dish I’m sharing with you today. It contains the stuff that dreams are made of: lots of cheese, pasta, and juicy chicken sausage. Come on, who doesn’t love a cheesy pasta?
The chicken sausage I used is Zweigle’s brand which is a 5th generation family-owned local business here in Rochester! As you know, I love giving accolades to my favorite brands that are famous here in my hometown. Zweigle’s is one of Rochester’s oldest and most widely respected businesses that I absolutely love to do anything I can to support. If you are from here, you know they are famous for their Pop Open hot dogs! If you have never tried one, you’re seriously missing out.
Zweigle’s chicken sausage is simply the best quality and I cannot say enough good things about it! They have 5 different varieties (Spinach and Feta, Italian, Chorizo, Buffalo Style, Lime Chipotle) that make it easy to fit whatever variety you want into the type of dish you are making. I used the Italian kind in this Cheesy Chicken Sausage Pasta Skillet because it fits in so well with any pasta dish.
I read an article recently saying that Zweigle’s Chicken Sausage is only worth 2 points on the Weight Watchers program! It’s a great substitute for pork or beef sausage in any recipe and still tastes delicious while being health conscious at the same time. I am constantly using chicken sausage in my recipes.
This dish has so much going for it and is a crowd-pleaser for adults and kids alike. I used Campanelle pasta which is a pasta shaped like a cone with a ruffled edge. You can use any short cut pasta that you have on hand. You can’t go wrong with warm, melted cheese combined with some good carbs – comfort food at it’s finest!
You can find a few other chicken sausage recipes on my blog here. You can also get more great recipe ideas and purchase Zweigle’s products online by hopping on over to Zweigles.com. Enjoy!
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound chicken sausage (I used Zweigle's Italian), sliced thin
- 1 cup onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 cups short cut pasta (I used Campanelle)
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups half and half
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1½ cup sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- pepper
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking.
- Add chopped onions and sliced chicken sausage. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions are soft, and sausage is starting get a nice brown color on each side.
- Add minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant (20-30 seconds). Don't let it burn.
- Stir in pasta, Rotel tomatoes, half and half, a sprinkle of pepper, and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
- Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes until pasta is cooked through/tender.
- Thoroughly stir in cheese until melted and remove skillet from heat.
- Let stand for a few minutes to let the sauce thicken before serving. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Thank you Zweigles for sponsoring this conversation. All opinions remain 100% my own, as always.
Recipe source: adapted from my good friend Erin at dinnersdishesanddesserts.com. Visit her for great recipes!
This looks delicious! I think I know what I’m making tomorrow!
Oh, I would be all over this chicken sausage pasta, Ashley! This sounds like my kind of meal…comforting, packed with flavor and lightened up thanks to that tasty chicken sausage. And I had forgotten that you live in Rochester. I’ll be over there in a couple of weeks for a 5-day curling tournament. Maybe you can just leave a skillet of this delicious pasta for me after a game? 🙂
Yay for Groundhog day – especially when NO shadows are seen! 🙂
BTW – this is some good game day eating!
Yum! Now that’s a skillet full of goodness! I’m always looking for new ways to make cheesy pasta, and this sounds awesome!
This dish definitely has so much good stuff going on! My husband would go crazy for this!
I am totally making this for dinner, it sounds so amazing– I’m craving it now!
Great skillet for those busy days, love it.
This reminds me of one of our go-to dishes – a pasta dish with kale and sauteed turkey sausage. Of course, cheese makes everything better… Unfortunately, I have had to adjust as my hubs can’t have cheese anymore 🙁
This looks like a biiiiiig ol bowl of comfort! I would eat way too much of this 🙂
We always get a kick of ground hog day too! Weird, isn’t it? And yes, January disappeared in a flash! Anyway, terrific looking dish — so full of flavor, great antidote for the cold weather we’re having. Thanks!
I am always up for some cheesy pasta!
This looks like something I want to come home to every night
I didn’t even know that chicken sausage is a thing! I totally have to look for that. And this pasta skillet looks so creamy! The kind of thing I’d devour in minutes. 🙂
This looks so creamy and wonderful! I don’t know where January went either, but I am definitely glad we are heading toward spring.
Oh my gosh this looks DELICIOUS!! Love the pasta shape and now I am craving for chicken sausage!
I really like chicken sausage and this creamy pasta has got to be so addicting! Looks mouthwatering. And I’m very happy the groundhog did not see his shadow…just sayin’!
This looks delicious!
What a delicious and comforting meal…this would hit the spot for me. xo, Catherine
That looks like a whole lot of flavor to come together in 20 minutes – I have to make this!
Creamy pasta dishes with sausage are like my favorite comfort food dishes in the world. You’ve made me very happy with this recipe. I wish I had some right now! Pinning!
Thanks so much for the pin, Renee!
I love one pot meals and this pasta cooked in a skillet is perfect! Yum!
Oh yum….. I feel like I could just take a swan dive into that skillet of deliciousness! Love the fact that the chicken sausage makes it a little more guilt-free.
I could eat that whole batch all by myself. This looks so flipping good. Digging the chicken sausage, great flavour, we eat it often. This is comfort food at its finest.
I have that same skillet!!! hahaha I use it all the time. I think that’s a sign that I have to make this pasta! Ooo I bet that chicken sausage is fantastic!
We had this for dinner and it was AMAZING!!! You meant for it to be single serving right?!?!?!? Just kidding. Sort of. 🙂
Ahhhh thank you so much for coming back to let me know!!! Glad you liked it!! LOL
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On behalf of Zweigle’s, thanks for creating these! This one was awesome.
I wasn’t sure whether or not to use uncooked or cooked pasta, as it isn’t mentioned in the recipe, and I ended up going with cooked… Definitely not the right call, as it never came together into a sauce and I ended up draining off a ton of liquid, and wasting a bunch of cheese in the process in an effort to thicken it. Make sure to use uncooked pasta.