For my family, and most families, it can be a challenge to get a home-cooked meal on the table during the busy week. Jack is playing baseball this fall, so with baseball practice and games, homework, grocery store trips, and more, the evening after work can be daunting for us. I am always looking for shortcuts that allow me to put a wholesome and filling meal on the table that doesn’t require me to go through a drive-though.
During the week, we opt for easy and simple recipes that require little prep and little cleanup. I love one-pot meals just for that reason. In the grocery store the other day, I noticed the new Barilla® Pronto™ pastas. The “one pan, no boil, no drain” line caught my attention. It was buy-one-get-one-free (and so was the Barilla® pasta sauce) so in my cart it went. 
We’re not one of those families who does a weekly meal plan. Our schedule changes daily and often times when we plan our meals, we end up not wanting what we’ve planned, so we’re much more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants crew. So a few days later, I was searching for something for a quick supper when I remembered the Pronto™ pasta in the pantry. I grabbed some kielbasa I had in the fridge and whipped up this Cheesy Sausage Skillet all in one pot in no time flat! My family devoured it. It was so easy and convenient not having to boil and drain the noodles separately – it all just cooks right in one pan. I think the pasta has even more flavor this way because it cooks in there with the sauce and sausage rather than just with water and is absorbed all the yumminess. Let me show you how to do it…
For speed and ease, gather all your ingredients first. I’ve got my sauce, Pronto™ pasta, sausage, chicken broth and cheese all ready. 
Start by heating about 1 tablespoon of olive oil ( or vegetable oil) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
Add the sliced sausage…
Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to get the sausage browned on the outsides. If you like, you can add half of a chopped onion and a couple cloves of minced garlic now, too. Add the onion and cook until it’s translucent, then add the garlic and cook for about a minute before going to the next step.
Add your chicken broth.
Add the pasta.
Add the sauce. Then add 1 cup of water. I like to pour my water into my pasta sauce jar and give it a shake to get the last bit of sauce out of the jar first. 
Stir it around and make sure that the pasta is covered by liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally and adjust the heat to prevent scorching.
The liquid will be absorbed by the pasta and look something like this. (Doesn’t that look delicious??)
Sprinkle the cheese over the top and allow it to melt. I popped the top to the skillet on there for a minute or two to speed that process along. And there you go… dinner – ready in no time flat, all in one pan! Add a side salad and dinner is served!
Recipe Card
One-Pan Cheesy Sausage Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 (14-ounce) package smoked sausage (I used kielbasa), thinly sliced
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (12-ounce) box Barilla® Pronto™ Penne pasta
- 1 (24-ounce) jar Barilla® Traditional sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup shredded Italian blend cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once heated, add the sliced sausage and cook 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to brown the sausage. Once browned, add the chicken broth, uncooked pasta, pasta sauce, and water. Mix well and ensure the pasta is covered by the liquid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook uncovered for 12 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the pasta is tender. Add salt if necessary and top with the cheese to the top and allow it to melt. Serve immediately.
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Barilla® . The opinions and text are all mine.
