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Cream Cheese Smoked Sausage Pasta

Published: / Updated: / 40 Comments

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This cream cheese smoked sausage pasta recipe is fast, uses everyday ingredients, and it's easy to make and comforting! Ready in about 30 minutes.

creamy smoked sausage pasta in a beige bowl

Another quick and easy pasta coming 'atcha! You guys enjoyed my Simple Balsamic Smoked Sausage Pasta, so I thought I'd do another one since smoked sausage is just really good... especially in a cream cheese sauce that has a little kick. 

This should go without saying, but sometimes it helps to state the obvious. You can definitely taste the cream cheese in this one, so if you're not a fan of it, you may want to skip this particular recipe. 

What kind of sausage to use?

I used a fully cooked Ukrainian sausage. Smoked sausages definitely vary, but whatever you can find/your favorite variety will be fine. Do use your best judgement when it comes to draining the fat, though. The kind I bought for this recipe wasn't too fatty at all, but some will release a lot of fat, so it's a good idea to spoon it out of the pan. You can use an uncooked sausage (e.g. Italian sausage) and cook it for this recipe (take it out of the casings and crumble it), but cooking time may be a bit longer.

Feel free to use a bit less than the 1 pound of sausage that's suggested. I just used the whole coil that I bought.

cream cheese smoked sausage pasta in a skillet

Love cream cheese? Try my Quick Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce, Bacon Cream Cheese Tortellini or these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes.

Recipe notes & tips:

  • The corn adds a little sweetness and extra flavor and color (I had leftover grilled corn, but canned is just fine!). You could definitely swap it with another veggie that you happen to have on hand. 
  • Softening the cream cheese makes a big difference to recipe timing when it melts into the sauce faster, so please do not skip that step in the recipe. 🙂
  • Try replacing the red pepper flakes with some Cajun seasoning (but perhaps use a low or no salt version as the sausage can be quite salty). Or, leave out the red pepper flakes altogether if you don't want a bit of heat.

More tasty sausage recipes to try:

close-up of creamy smoked sausage pasta

Will you give this smoked sausage pasta recipe a try? Questions? Let me know in the comments below!

creamy smoked sausage pasta in a beige bowl

Cream Cheese Smoked Sausage Pasta

This cream cheese smoked sausage pasta recipe is fast, uses everyday ingredients, and it's easy to make and comforting! Ready in about 30 minutes.
4.86 from 14 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 30 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 807 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 8 ounces uncooked pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound smoked sausage sliced SEE NOTE
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 8 ounces cream cheese (block of Philly) softened
  • 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/2 cup corn (use canned or already cooked corn cut off the cob)
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Take the cream cheese out of the fridge at least an hour prior to starting the recipe or microwave it for 20-30 seconds so it's very soft. Boil a salted pot of water and cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
  • Meanwhile, add the oil and sausage slices to a skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat.
  • Add the onion and continue sautéing for another few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sausage has nicely browned and the onions have softened up and lightly browned as well.
  • Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
  • Transfer the contents of the skillet to a plate and set it aside.
  • Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chicken broth, cream cheese (I cut it into smaller pieces first), Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Stir it constantly until it's a nice, smooth sauce (this will take a few minutes).
  • Add the sausage/onions back to the skillet, along with the corn (drain the corn if using canned), and give it a good stir. Let it heat through for a minute or two.
  • If the sauce has thickened up a bit too much, add a few tablespoons of the hot pasta water prior to draining the pasta.
  • Toss the drained pasta with the sauce (add the pasta to the skillet) and serve immediately. Season with salt & pepper as needed. I added a bit of fresh parsley for garnish (optional... use if you happen to have some).

Notes

  • I used a Ukrainian smoked sausage coil for this recipe. Any smoked sausage will work, or something like kielbasa/Polish sausage works too. I buy the kind that's already fully cooked. This type of sausage is not very greasy (but spoon out excess fat if yours is). If you use a sausage that's raw (e.g. Italian sausage), you will have to cook it for longer and probably drain some of the fat depending on what kind of sausage you buy. Feel free to use less than the whole thing/1 pound of it.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information. Calories will vary depending on what sausage you use. Some are leaner than the one in my nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 807kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 26gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 143mgSodium: 1367mgPotassium: 528mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 886IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 2mg
Keyword cream cheese smoked sausage pasta, creamy smoked sausage pasta
Author Natasha Bull
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  1. Heather says

    Made this tonight, super good!! I didn’t use any onion but added some paprika, sour cream!! And used andouille sausage!! So good will make it again!!

    Reply

  3. Liz says

    5 stars
    I've made this as directed and it was very tasty! I added a few extras the next few times I've made it. I tossed in a little creamy melt mozzarella and a splash of cream. I've also added some frozen broccoli florets and a small can of peas. It's always turned out great! I love the base sauce of the cream cheese and chicken broth.

    Reply

  4. Christopher Wind says

    5 stars
    I used your salad noodles, instead of cream cheese I used homemade white sauce and mixed it with the chicken broth and other ingredients. And added fresh corn cut off cob, red bell peppers, and red onion. I made enough for 8 servings and four people ate all of it.

    Reply

  5. Katie says

    5 stars
    Just made this for the family and it was a hit all around. We did add a bunch of other seasonings & subbed green peppers for onions because of our personal preference. The sauce was a bit thin so I cooked it a lil longer to get it to thicken a bit.

    Reply

  6. Nayara says

    5 stars
    Made this last night and it was delicious!!! Would totally recommend. I added some chopped bell peppers and chopped/blanched kale stems at the onion step for some more veggies 🙂

    Reply

  7. Cheryl says

    Yummy!! I really enjoyed this recipe! Really easy and I got to use my favorite cast iron skillet. I chopped my onions pretty small, next time I'd chop them larger. I didn't have a full block of cream cheese, it was about 6 oz. I used canned corn. I did the 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes and really liked the heat! Thank you!!

    Reply

  13. Virginie says

    5 stars
    We don't have these sausages in Belgium (Ukrainian sausage). Unless the Polish sausage for sauerkraut? So, put in normal sausage and I also add peas. I was a little scared but in the end it was very good. I would definitely do it again with Polish sausage to test.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Yup, sausages vary a lot, and it's hard to describe from North American to various European countries, unfortunately. Sounds like you picked a good one!

      Reply

  14. Haley says

    A really delicious and easy meal, I cut the amount of cream cheese in half and it was perfect. Thank you for the recipe 🙂

    Reply

  15. Joe says

    5 stars
    This is everything I wanted: inexpensive ingredients, simple to prepare and tasted delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe, I know I'll be making it again!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Fantastic!! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it, Joe. Thanks for taking the time to write me a review!

      Reply

  16. Nicole says

    5 stars
    This is so yummy <3 The whole family loves this. I have made it twice and will keep using it my meal rotation. Thanks so much for sharing =)

    Reply

  17. CJ Butterbaugh says

    5 stars
    Made this last night. It was really good. I think next time I will use peas instead of corn just to try something different. Also used extra chicken broth to thin the sauce because I had already drained the pasta. Veggie rotini by the way, worked well. Have to find a less salty sausage next time, but it wasn't over the top. Thanks.

    Reply

  18. Casey says

    3 stars
    This was OK. Way too cream cheese taste. I'm not sure how you would ton it down other than adding a lighter sauce. I wanted it to be good but it just wasn't.

    Reply