This creamy Sausage Alfredo Pasta combines penne pasta, smoked sausage, and a seasoned Alfredo sauce to deliver a restaurant-worthy meal. This dinner can be ready in about 30 minutes or less making it a perfect weeknight dinner.
For a lightened-up Sausage Alfredo pasta with veggies (onion, peppers, and mushrooms) try this Cajun Sausage Pasta.
Sausage Alfredo Pasta
Once you try this recipe, you’ll never want to use jarred sauce for Sausage Alfredo again!
This creamy Alfredo sauce is super easy to make and full of flavor! To keep it quick and simple (perfect for a weeknight dinner!), the only thing you need to chop is the sausage. You can use pre-minced garlic, and nothing else needs chopping.
The sauce is packed with flavor from minimal ingredients. We add some Cajun seasoning for a slight kick of heat and a smoky, garlicky, and peppery taste. If you prefer less heat, just use less seasoning. If you love heat, feel free to add more to suit your taste.
Quick Tip
Try some other favorite Alfredo recipes–this Chicken Alfredo Recipe, this lightened-up Chicken Alfredo, or this Chicken Broccoli Alfredo.
Can You Put Sausage In Alfredo?
You can’t go wrong with adding sausage to a creamy pasta recipe–it’s the perfect combination!
This particular recipe features smoked sausage in the sauce, but for a ground Italian sausage Alfredo sauce, try this Creamy Sausage Pasta!
Do You Cook Sausage Before Putting It In Sauce?
Yes! Even though smoked sausage is fully cooked, we recommend sautéing it first for this recipe. There are a couple reasons for doing this:
- It builds flavor. The drippings and any browned bits left behind from cooking the sausage add so much flavor to the creamy Alfredo sauce.
- It makes the sausage more flavorful. Color=flavor and adding some color to the sausage improves the texture and flavor of the sausage.
Variations
Sausage Alfredo Variation Ideas
Make Shrimp and Sausage Alfredo
After sautéing and removing the sausage, add in some shrimp. Here’s what to do:
Add 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the same pan. While the butter melts, sprinkle 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of salt on the shrimp and toss gently. Once the butter is melted, place the shrimp in the pan in a single layer without overlapping. (If the pan is too crowded, the shrimp will steam instead of sautéing.) Cook for 1 minute, then use tongs to flip each shrimp and cook for 1 more minute on the other side. Transfer the cooked shrimp to a clean plate. Return the shrimp to the pan at the end!
Make Chicken and Sausage Alfredo
After sautéing and removing the sausage, cook the chicken as directed in the Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe. Remove the chicken and let it rest under some foil. Then, dice or slice it thinly and add it back in at the end!
Or, make a chicken, shrimp, and sausage Alfredo by cooking each separately in the same pan (this builds up the flavors!) and then mixing everything together with the pasta at the end.
How To Make Sausage Alfredo
- Salt the pasta water: Salting the water is your only chance to season the pasta, so make sure the penne pasta is well salted while it cooks. Otherwise, the entire Sausage Alfredo Pasta will taste under-seasoned.
- Sauté sausage: After sautéing the sausage, put it on a plate and cover it with foil.
- Toss together sauce: Don’t clean the pan! We’ll make the sauce in the same pan, using the flavor left from the sausage. Add some Cajun seasoning to create a Cajun Sausage Alfredo–it adds a lot of flavor!
- Emulsify: The secret to great Italian pasta is emulsifying! Toss the hot pasta with the Alfredo sauce and reserved pasta water. This makes a smooth and flavorful sauce that clings to the pasta instead of settling at the bottom of the pot.
Storage
Storing
Enjoy right away: This Sausage Alfredo tastes best right after the sauce is mixed together.
Storing leftovers: You can store leftovers, but you’ll need to add some more heavy cream to loosen the sauce when you reheat the pasta. Leftover pasta will be softer but still flavorful. Because of the pasta and dairy, this dish isn’t good for freezing and thawing.
What To Serve With Sausage Alfredo Pasta:
- Veggies. Try these favorite roasted vegetables, roasted broccoli, roasted Brussels sprouts, or roasted green beans.
- Bread. Garlic bread, French bread, or these no-knead dinner rolls to sop up any leftover sauce.
- A Big Salad. Try our copycat Olive Garden Salad, this Italian Salad, this everyday Salad Recipe or a quick Garden Salad.
Sausage Alfredo Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pkg. (16 oz.) penne pasta
- Fine sea salt & pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pkg. (13 oz.) smoked sausage, thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- 1-1/2 teaspoons minced garlic (or use 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning (Note 1)
- 1/2 teaspoon each: paprika and dried oregano
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano (Note 2)
- Optional: fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- PASTA: Heads-up: you'll need to save pasta water before draining! Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add in 1 tablespoon fine sea salt. Add in all the penne pasta and boil, stirring occasionally, until it's "al dente" according to package directions (lowest time indicated on package). Before draining, remove 1 cup of pasta water. Drain but do not rinse in cold water.
- SAUSAGE: Place a large cast iron skillet/pot (big enough to hold all the pasta later) over medium-high heat. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon oil. Once oil is hot, add the sliced sausage. Let sear, stirring occasionally, until nicely browned (smoked sausage is cooked through, so no need to get to a certain temperature). Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl, leaving any grease behind (If there is more than 1 tablespoon, drain it off). Set sausage aside for now.
- SAUCE: In same pot (don't wipe it out), add butter and melt over medium-high heat. Once melted, add in garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Pour in the cream, cajun seasoning, paprika, oregano, and pepper to taste (I add 1/4 tsp.). As soon as mixture boils, turn heat down to medium low. Simmer until thickened, about 1-3 minutes (See Note 3).
- SAUCE, CONT.: Once thickened, remove pan from heat. Stir in the finely grated Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce is mostly smooth. Dump drained pasta right on top of the sauce plus 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Return sausage and add optional parsley. Return pan to heat. Turn to medium and toss gently with tongs until the pasta and sauce emulsify (cling together) nicely. This takes about 1 minute. Add additional pasta water if needed (if it's looking dry/stodgy!). Taste and add a pinch of salt if needed.
- ENJOY: Remove from heat and serve right away! Garnish plates with fresh parsley plus a sprinkle more of cheese if desired.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
