Cheesy Kielbasa Broccoli Rotini Skillet Dinner (easy one pan recipe!)

Love one pot skillet meals with smoked sausage? Try this fabulous and frugal easy Kielbasa sausage skillet dinner with healthy broccoli and cheesy Rotini pasta noodles!

Busy nights call for SIMPLE one pot meals – and that’s exactly what this Cheesy Keilbasa Broccoli Rotini Skillet Dinner is – a full meal made all in ONE pan!

Just a few ingredients, NO canned soup, an option to use frozen broccoli and a milk-free recipe alternative.

Fun Ways To Dress Up This Recipe:

• Change up The Broth: The recipe below uses beef broth, which is kinda heavy (and some think it’s too salty). Try using Chicken Broth or Vegetable Broth instead – or you can just use water.
• Use Fresh Instead: The recipe uses garlic and onion powder. Change it up by getting fancy and sautéing fresh diced yellow onion and minced fresh garlic with the kielbasa. This adds texture and a “homemade” depth.
• The Cream Factor: Instead of heavy whipping cream, use half-and-half mixed with a tablespoon of Dijon mustard. The mustard acts as an emulsifier and adds a “chef’s kiss” tang that cuts through the fatty sausage (it’s a classic French cooking hack). Or – stir in 4oz of Cream Cheese at the end for a thicker cheesier sauce.
• Veggie Add-ins: You can add diced red bell peppers when you sauté the sausage.
• Cheese Blend: I use a triple cheddar cheese blend, but you can use any cheese you like. Try Sharp White Cheddar (for flavor) and Mozzarella (for the gooey cheese glory).
• Pasta Choices: I use Rotini noodles because they tend to grab and hold the yummy cheese sauce better than slippery egg noodles, but you can use ANY type of pasta you prefer – or have on hand.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb. kielbasa sausage, sliced
• 2-3 cups of shredded cheese
• 1 small head of broccoli (washed and cut into pieces)
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 10 oz. Rotini noodles (uncooked)
• Garlic powder, onion powder, salt & pepper to taste

How To Make It:

1. Pour olive oil into a deep skillet. Cook the sausage on low heat until the sausage is lightly brown.
2. Remove the smoked sausage from the skillet and set aside.
3. Sauté the broccoli in the pan for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the sausage back to the skillet along with the uncooked pasta, beef broth, and seasonings. Stir to combine and cover with a lid.
5. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Remove lid, pour in the whipping cream, and stir. Cover again and cook for 12 minutes more.
7. Remove the lid and add 2-3 cups of shredded cheese. Stir until the cheese is mixed in and melted.
8. Simmer for 3 minutes on low heat before serving.

Can You Use FROZEN Broccoli Instead?

*I* have never tried this recipe with FROZEN broccoli, but I’d think you can totally alter the recipe a tad and use frozen broccoli instead.

Frozen broccoli is a great budget-friendly swap (and recipe shortcut!), but it behaves differently than fresh because it has been blanched (partially cooked) before freezing and holds more water.

If you throw it in at the same time as fresh broccoli, it will turn into mush and release too much water – which would make it just gross haha!

Things to consider:

Timing (Add it later): Since it is already soft, it doesn’t need to “steam” for 6 minutes like fresh broccoli. It only needs to thaw and heat through.

Water Content: Frozen broccoli releases water as it cooks. You need to prevent this from thinning out your creamy sauce.

If you want to use frozen broccoli instead, I think the “Thaw & Drain” method would be how I would do it.

• Step 1: While the pasta simmers, microwave the frozen broccoli for 2-3 minutes until just thawed.
• Step 2: Important: Drain the liquid and give the broccoli a squeeze or pat it dry with paper towels. (This ensures your sauce stays creamy, not watery).
• Step 3: Roughly chop it if the florets are huge.
• Step 4: Stir the thawed broccoli into the skillet at the very end of the pasta cooking time (Step 6 in the previous draft), just before you add the cheese. It only needs 1-2 minutes to get hot.

Quick Tip: If you want to dump it straight from the bag (frozen) without thawing, reduce the broth in the recipe by about 1/4 cup to account for the melting ice, and add the broccoli to the pan for the last 3 minutes of cooking.

How to Make This Without Milk

If you are out of milk or need a dairy-free option, this recipe is very forgiving. The starch from the pasta helps thicken the sauce, so the milk is mostly there for richness. Here are the best swaps:

• The “All Broth” Method (Best for Savory Flavor):
  Simply replace the 1 cup of milk with 1 extra cup of chicken or vegetable broth (for a total of 4 cups liquid).
  
  Tip: Because you lose the fat from the milk, stir in 1-2 tablespoons of butter (or dairy-free butter) at the very end when you add the cheese to get that glossy, velvety finish.
• Unsweetened Oat or Soy Milk (Best Creamy Texture):
  Use plain, unsweetened oat or soy milk. These have a neutral flavor and creamy consistency that mimics cow’s milk well in savory dishes. Avoid almond milk if possible, as it is often too thin for pasta sauces.
• Sour Cream Finish (If you just don’t have liquid milk):
  If you eat dairy but are just out of milk, cook the pasta entirely in broth (4 cups). When the pan is off the heat, stir in 1/3 cup of sour cream along with your shredded cheese. This creates a tangy, stroganoff-style sauce that pairs perfectly with the kielbasa.

Here’s the full recipe to save to Pinterest: