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Polish Sausage Pasta

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This Polish Sausage Pasta recipe is packed with flavor! Tender noodles, fresh vegetables and smokey polish kielbasa tossed in a rich cream sauce, comes together in under 30 minutes. Perfect for an easy, family dinner on busy week nights.

Polish Sausage Pasta in a pan ready to serve

What is Polish Kielbasa?

“Kielbasa” is the Polish word for sausage.

This Polish style of sausage is usually made from pork (or a combination of pork and beef), and has a strong garlic, smokey flavor. In America, we typically refer to this sausage as simply “Polish Sausage”.

I love cooking with Polish sausage as it is super versatile, and it always makes a great dish. It can be served for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Breakfast: Slice sausage and add it to a egg scramble with cheddar cheese. Serve with a side of toast.

Lunch: Grill sausage and serve on a hard roll hotdog bun. Top with spicy mustard and sauerkraut or sautéed peppers and onions.

Dinner: Toss it into a pasta skillet with fresh veggies and a fun sauce which is exactly what this recipe is!

What ingredients do you need for Polish Sausage Pasta?

  • Polish Sausage (like this one or this one)
  • bow tie pasta (like this one)
  • olive oil
  • garlic cloves, minced
  • red onion
  • red bell pepper
  • broccoli
  • chicken broth
  • half and half
  • seasoning salt (I prefer this one)
  • parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper
ingredients for Polish Sausage Pasta

How do you make Polish Sausage Pasta?

In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil over medium high heat, and cook 8oz of bowtie pasta until al dente. Note: you can also use penne pasta or rotini pasta as well. Any of those types of pasta will work will in this dish.

Before draining, scoop out 1/4c of pasta water and set it aside. Drain pasta in a colander and set it aside as well.

reserve a scoop of pasta water before you drain pasta

While pasta is cooking, grab a large frying pan or large skillet. Over medium heat, add 1/2T olive oil and 4 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant being careful not to let it scorch.

add olive oil and minced garlic to a pan and cook until fragrant

Pro Tip: Babysit your garlic! Burned garlic has a bitter taste and will ruin the flavor of your dish. Keep a close eye on your garlic for the first few minutes its in your pan. Use a wooden spoon to stir it frequently.

Pour 1/2 c chicken broth into the pan, and add 1/2 of a red onion (sliced into thin strips), 1 red pepper (sliced into strips) and 2 cups of broccoli florets. Cook 3-5 minutes until vegetables start to soften.

Slice the Polish sausages into approx 1″ coins and add them to the skillet. Give everything a good toss.

slice polish sausage into coin shapes approx 1" thick

Stir in 1/2 c of half and half and another 1/4 c of chicken broth. Sprinkle in 1t seasoning salt, 1/4 salt and 1/4 black pepper. Note: I use coarse salt. If you are using table salt, use less.

sprinkle in seasoning salt

Rough chop 2oz of parmesan cheese. I like to chop it vs shred it so that you get nice, big hunks of melted cheese in your bite.

rough chop parmesan cheese

Add cheese and cooked pasta into the skillet. Stir in 2T of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together and cooked for another 1-2 minutes until fully combined and heated through. If you like your sauce thinner, feel free to add more of the pasta water.

Scoop onto plates and serve!

Variations You Can Try

The great part about skillet pasta recipes is that you can easily switch them up depending on what you have on hand, and still have a complete meal that the whole family will love. This one is no exception.

Try some of these fun ingredients mixed into the creamy sauce:

  • baby spinach
  • diced tomatoes
  • bell peppers (green, red, yellow, orange)
  • fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • sun-dried tomatoes
  • asparagus

You can also swap out the polish sausage for alternate meats to try this dish different ways. Try:

  • turkey sausage
  • Italian sausage
  • andouille sausage
  • ground beef or turkey
  • chicken

If you’d like to spice up the flavor, try adding:

  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • cajun seasoning
  • spicy Italian seasoning
  • cayenne pepper
  • Tabasco sauce
  • Cholula sauce
  • jalapenos
  • green onions

What to serve with the pasta?

This skillet meal is great served with salad like Best Ever Side Salad, and some crusty bread with butter.

Prep Ahead Method

This is actually a great dish to meal prep for busy week nights.

When you have time, chop all of the veggies, mince the garlic, slice the sausage and cheese and cook the pasta. Store everything in air tight containers in the fridge.

I like to prep this meal in the morning, or even the night before. That way, when we get home from work/school and evening activities, I can heat my skillet, and zip through the recipe steps.

I am able to have this meal on the table in about 10 mins. when I prep ahead.

Polish Sausage Pasta in a pan ready to serve

FAQ’s

Does it matter if you use the individual sausages vs the rope kielbasa sausage?

Nope! Either is fine. Just slice them into “coin” shaped approx 1/2″ thick. The sausage is fully cooked, so you can just toss it right into the pasta skillet to warm it up.

Can I use heavy cream instead of half and half?

Sure! your sauce will be a little thicker in consistency so you may want to add some additional tablespoons of the reserved pasta water to thin it out a bit.

How do I warm up leftover pasta from last night?

You can re-heat the pasta in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. You will want to add a few splashes of extra liquid like half and half or chicken stock to bring it back to its creamy consistency.

Bonus Recipes

Looking for more fun pasta dinner recipes? Try Enchilada Pasta Bake, Easy Taco Pasta or Chicken Noodle Mac n Cheese Soup.

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Polish Sausage Pasta in a pan ready to serve

Polish Sausage Pasta

Liz Olberding @ Up North Nosh
This Polish Sausage Pasta recipe is packed with flavor! Tender noodles, fresh vegetables and smokey polish kielbasa tossed in a rich cream sauce, comes together in under 30 minutes. Perfect for an easy, family dinner on busy week nights.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people
Calories 461 kcal

Equipment

  • 1 skillet or large fry pan
  • 1 pot
  • 1 sharp knife

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz bowtie pasta
  • 1/2 T olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 cup red onion (approx 1/2 onion), sliced into strips
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced into thin strips
  • 2 cups broccoli florets
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 14 oz polish sausage
  • 1/2 cup half and half
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth
  • 1 t seasoning salt
  • 2 oz parmesan cheese roughly chopped
  • 1/4 t salt (to taste)
  • 1/4 t pepper

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil over medium high heat, and cook 8oz of bowtie pasta until al dente.
  • Before draining, scoop out 1/4c of pasta water and set it aside. Drain pasta in a colander and set it aside as well.
  • While pasta is cooking, grab a large skillet. Over medium heat, add 1/2T olive oil and 4 cloves of minced garlic. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant being careful not to let it burn.
  • Pour 1/2 c chicken broth into the pan, and add 1/2 of a red onion (sliced into thin strips), 1 red pepper (sliced into strips) and 2 cups of broccoli florets. Cook 3-5 minutes until vegetables start to soften.
  • Slice the Polish sausages into "coins" approx 1" thick, and add them to the skillet. Give everything a good toss.
  • Stir in 1/2 c of half and half and another 1/4 c of chicken broth. Sprinkle in 1t seasoning salt, 1/4 salt and 1/4 black pepper. Note: I use coarse salt. If you are using table salt, use less.
  • Rough chop 2oz of parmesan cheese. I like to chop it vs shred it so that you get nice, big hunks of melted cheese in your bite.
  • Add cheese and cooked pasta into the skillet. Stir in 2T of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything together and cooked for another 1-2 minutes until fully combined and heated through. If you like your sauce thinner, feel free to add more of the pasta water.
  • Scoop onto plates and serve!

Notes

This skillet meal is great served with salad like Best Ever Side Salad, and some crusty bread with butter.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To reheat leftovers, add a few splashes of half and half or chicken broth and heat in microwave or in a pot on the stove.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 461kcalCarbohydrates: 37gProtein: 20gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 1351mgPotassium: 468mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 957IUVitamin C: 56mgCalcium: 177mgIron: 2mg
Keyword polish kielbasa sausage, sausage pasta, skillet pasta
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