12 Sausage Dinner Recipes Ready in 30 Minutes

Sausage might just be the most hardworking ingredient in your kitchen. It’s already seasoned, already packed with flavor, and it turns even a handful of pantry staples into something that feels deliberate and satisfying — like you actually planned dinner in advance. The best part? You don’t need an hour of hands-on cooking to pull off a genuinely good sausage meal.

Whether you’re working with smoky kielbasa, spicy Italian links, chorizo, or andouille, sausage brings that deep, savory backbone that other proteins take a lot more effort to develop. It browns fast, it melds beautifully with vegetables, grains, and pasta, and it makes cleanup feel like an afterthought — especially when you’re cooking everything in one pan.

These twelve recipes hit that sweet spot: dinner on the table in 30 minutes or less, with flavors bold enough that nobody’s going to miss spending more time in the kitchen.

1. One-Pan Italian Sausage and Rice with Peppers

This skillet dinner is the kind of meal that earns a permanent spot in your weekly rotation. Smoky Italian chicken sausage, fire-roasted tomatoes, vibrant bell peppers, and instant brown rice all cook together in a single pan — and the whole thing is done in about 30 minutes flat.

Why It Works So Well

The rice absorbs the broth and tomato juices as it cooks, pulling in every layer of flavor from the sausage and aromatics. Fire-roasted tomatoes (as opposed to plain diced) add a subtle smokiness that elevates the whole dish without any extra effort.

What You’ll Need

• 12 oz cooked Italian chicken sausage links, sliced ¼-inch thick
• 1 red bell pepper and 1 orange bell pepper, diced
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup instant brown rice
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes with juices
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried basil
• ½ tsp kosher salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• Chopped fresh parsley for serving

How to Make It

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large nonstick skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat. Add the sausage slices and cook 5–8 minutes, turning once, until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate.

Wipe the skillet clean with a paper towel, then heat the remaining oil. Add the bell peppers, onion, basil, salt, and pepper and cook about 3 minutes until the onion softens. Add the garlic, rice, and red pepper flakes, stirring to coat the rice. Cook another 30 seconds until fragrant.

Pour in the broth and tomatoes with all their juices, stir well, then bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved sausage, re-cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Pro tip: Dice the peppers and onion while the sausage browns to keep the total time under 30 minutes.

2. Creamy One-Pan Cajun Sausage Pasta

This is the pasta you make when you want maximum flavor with minimum cleanup. Smoked sausage, bell peppers, onion, and shell pasta all simmer together in a single skillet with chicken broth, cream, and tomatoes — the pasta absorbs the sauce as it cooks, and a blanket of melted cheddar finishes it off.

What Makes It Special

Cooking the pasta directly in the sauce (instead of boiling it separately) means the shells absorb every bit of that smoky, Cajun-spiced flavor. The heavy cream goes in near the end so it doesn’t break, leaving you with a glossy, restaurant-worthy sauce.

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb smoked or andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 small diced tomatoes (about 2 cups)
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3½ cups shell pasta
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: 1 tbsp diced jalapeños for heat

How to Make It

In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage until the edges are crispy and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate, but don’t drain the pan — that rendered fat cooks the vegetables.

Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, broth, cream, jalapeños (if using), pasta, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the sausage back in and stir gently to combine — the skillet will be full.

Cover, raise heat to high, and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender. Remove from heat, stir in the cheddar and parsley, and let sit 5 minutes to thicken. Serve with extra cheese on top if you want.

3. Sausage and Vegetable Sheet-Pan Dinner

Sheet-pan dinners exist for nights when you’d rather not hover over a hot stove. Toss your sausage and vegetables with olive oil and seasoning, slide them into a hot oven, and dinner is basically cooking itself while you decompress.

How to Set It Up

• 4 Italian sausage links (mild or hot), sliced into 1-inch pieces
• 2 cups mixed vegetables: bell peppers, zucchini, red onion, or broccoli
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Spread the sausage and vegetables on a large rimmed sheet pan in a single layer — crowding prevents browning, so use two pans if you need to. Drizzle with olive oil, scatter the seasonings, and toss everything to coat.

Roast 20–25 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until the sausage is browned and the vegetables have caramelized edges. That’s it. Serve straight from the pan.

Quick Facts

• The recipe doubles effortlessly for a crowd
• Works with virtually any vegetable you have on hand
• Leftovers reheat well in a 375°F oven for 8–10 minutes

Pro tip: Line the pan with foil for near-zero cleanup.

4. Sausage Stroganoff Over Egg Noodles

Stroganoff typically means beef, but swap in sliced smoked sausage and you get something arguably more satisfying — and faster. The creamy, tangy sauce comes together in minutes, and it clings beautifully to egg noodles.

Why This Hits Differently

Smoked sausage already has a depth of flavor that usually takes hours to develop in braised beef. When you fold it into a sauce made with sour cream, beef broth, and Dijon mustard, you get something rich and complex that tastes far more involved than it actually is.

How to Make It

Brown 12 oz sliced smoked sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, about 4 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, sauté 1 diced onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and 8 oz sliced cremini mushrooms; cook until the mushrooms release their liquid and brown, another 5 minutes.

Sprinkle 1 tbsp flour over the vegetables and stir 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup low-sodium beef broth, scraping up any browned bits. Simmer 3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly, then reduce heat to low and stir in ¾ cup sour cream and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. Add the sausage back in and heat through — don’t boil or the sour cream will break.

Serve immediately over cooked egg noodles with chopped chives on top.

5. Italian Sausage and Kale Pasta

This pasta is a 30-minute dinner that manages to feel like something you’d order at a proper Italian restaurant. Spicy Italian sausage, wilted kale, and bucatini (or any long pasta) come together in a sauce that’s equal parts rendered sausage fat, starchy pasta water, and sharp Parmesan.

The Key to the Sauce

Don’t drain the sausage fat — it’s your sauce base. When you add the pasta water at the end, the starch emulsifies with the fat to create a coating that clings to every strand without being heavy. Use the good Parmesan here; pre-grated won’t melt as cleanly.

What You’ll Need

• 12 oz bucatini or spaghetti
• 12 oz Italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 cups chopped kale, stems removed
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
• Reserved pasta water (about 1 cup)
• Salt and olive oil

Cook pasta in well-salted boiling water until al dente, reserving 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. Meanwhile, cook the sausage in a large skillet, breaking it into crumbles, until browned. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes for 1 minute, then add the kale and toss until wilted.

Add the drained pasta to the skillet with ½ cup pasta water and the Parmesan. Toss over low heat until a glossy sauce forms, adding more pasta water as needed. Serve with extra Parmesan.

6. Sausage and Mushroom Gnocchi Skillet

Pillowy gnocchi doesn’t need to be boiled first — it can cook right in the skillet alongside sausage and mushrooms, absorbing flavor from the pan instead of bland boiling water. Fifteen minutes on the stovetop is all it takes.

How to Build the Dish

• 12 oz cooked chicken or Italian sausage, sliced
• 16 oz store-bought potato gnocchi
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup heavy cream or chicken broth
• ¼ cup Parmesan
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning

Brown the sausage in olive oil over medium-high heat, 4–5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the mushrooms and cook until golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, then the gnocchi, tossing to coat. Pour in the cream and stir until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Fold in the spinach until wilted, then add the sausage back. Finish with Parmesan and serve immediately.

Quick Facts

• Shelf-stable gnocchi works just as well as refrigerated
• Swap spinach for arugula for a peppery bite
• The dish thickens as it sits, so eat it hot

7. Chorizo Rice Bowl with Black Beans

When you want something filling and deeply flavorful without doing much cooking, this chorizo bowl delivers. Crispy chorizo, canned black beans, and instant rice come together with lime juice and cumin into a one-bowl dinner that’s done in 25 minutes.

What Gives It Its Character

Chorizo renders a gorgeous, rust-colored fat that seasons everything it touches. Once the chorizo is browned, you cook the aromatics in that fat, then add the beans and rice so every component picks up that smoky paprika flavor.

How to Make It

Brown 12 oz sliced or crumbled chicken or pork chorizo in a skillet over medium-high heat, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, cook 1 diced onion 4 minutes, then add 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 tsp cumin for 1 minute. Add 1 (15 oz) can rinsed black beans, 1 cup chicken broth, and 2 cups instant rice. Stir, cover, and cook 5 minutes until the rice is tender. Fluff with a fork, add the chorizo back, and squeeze lime juice over the top.

Serve in bowls with diced avocado, sour cream, cilantro, and a handful of crushed tortilla chips if you have them.

8. Sausage and Sauerkraut Skillet

Don’t sleep on sausage and sauerkraut — this is one of the most forgiving, most satisfying one-pan dinners around. The tang of fermented cabbage cuts right through the richness of the sausage, and the whole thing comes together with almost zero prep.

How to Build the Flavor

The trick is browning the sausage properly first. Those caramelized edges add a sweetness that balances the sourness of the sauerkraut. Don’t rinse the sauerkraut — the brine adds complexity and keeps things from getting dry.

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 (14 oz) can sauerkraut, drained but not rinsed
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp caraway seeds (optional but traditional)
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil or butter
• ½ cup chicken broth or apple cider

Cook the sausage in oil over medium-high heat until browned, 5–6 minutes. Remove. Cook the onion in the same pan until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the sauerkraut, broth, caraway seeds, and pepper. Stir, then nestle the sausage back in. Cover and simmer 10 minutes until everything is heated through and the flavors have melded. Serve with crusty bread or boiled potatoes.

9. Sausage-Stuffed Bell Peppers

Stuffed peppers feel like a project, but with pre-cooked rice and Italian sausage, the filling comes together in about 10 minutes. The peppers roast in 30–35 minutes, giving you a hands-off window to set the table and make a salad.

Building the Filling

• 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 cup cooked rice
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella, plus more for topping
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper

Brown the sausage in a skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it into crumbles, 5–7 minutes. Add the onion and cook 3 minutes, then the garlic for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the rice, marinara, half the mozzarella, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.

Halve 4 large bell peppers lengthwise, remove the seeds, and arrange in a greased baking dish. Fill each half with the sausage mixture and top with the remaining mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 375°F for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 more minutes until the cheese is bubbly.

Pro tip: Use a mix of red, yellow, and orange peppers for a striking presentation.

10. Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pasta

Broccoli rabe and sausage is a pairing that’s been around Italian kitchens for generations, and for good reason. The slight bitterness of the rabe is the ideal foil for rich, fatty sausage, and the whole thing comes together with olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, and Parmesan in a way that’s far greater than the sum of its parts.

What to Know About Broccoli Rabe

Don’t blanch it first — just add it raw to the pan after the sausage is browned and let it wilt directly in the fat and olive oil. It’ll turn bright green and tender in 3–4 minutes while keeping a slight bite that you want in this dish.

How to Make It

Cook 12 oz rigatoni in well-salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water. Meanwhile, brown 1 lb sweet Italian sausage (casings removed) in ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, breaking it into chunks. Add 4 sliced garlic cloves and ½ tsp red pepper flakes for 1 minute, then add 1 bunch broccoli rabe (stems trimmed, chopped into 2-inch pieces). Toss and cook until wilted, 3–4 minutes.

Add the drained pasta directly to the skillet along with ½ cup pasta water and ½ cup grated Parmesan. Toss over low heat until the sauce coats the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed. Serve with extra Parmesan and a drizzle of good olive oil.

11. Sausage and Apple Skillet

The combination of sweet apple and savory sausage sounds like it shouldn’t work as a weeknight dinner, but it absolutely does. A splash of chicken broth and apple cider vinegar creates a light, tangy pan sauce that makes this feel more refined than the prep time would suggest.

Why This Pairing Works

Apples bring natural acidity and sweetness that cuts through fatty sausage the same way mustard or sauerkraut does. Use a firm apple — Honeycrisp or Granny Smith — so the slices hold their shape instead of turning to mush in the pan.

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed, shaped into chunks
• 2 medium firm apples, cored and sliced into ½-inch wedges
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper

How to Cook It

Brown the sausage in 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat, 6–8 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add the remaining oil and the onion; cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic for 1 minute, then add the apple slices, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook 5–7 minutes until the apples begin to caramelize at the edges. Pour in the broth and vinegar, scraping up any browned bits. Return the sausage to the pan and simmer 3–4 minutes until the sauce reduces slightly. Serve over creamy mashed potatoes or with crusty bread.

12. Sausage and Potato One-Pan Supper

Sausage and potatoes is the kind of dinner that needs no selling. It’s deeply comforting, completely unpretentious, and it works with virtually any sausage in your fridge. The secret to getting it right in 30 minutes is cutting the potatoes small — ½-inch cubes cook fast and develop golden, crispy edges in a hot skillet.

What Makes This One Stand Out

Using the same skillet from start to finish means the potato cubes cook in the sausage fat, absorbing all that smokiness while crisping up on the outside. A handful of fresh herbs and a hit of whole-grain mustard at the end keeps it from feeling too heavy.

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb smoked sausage or kielbasa, sliced into rounds
• 1 lb baby potatoes or small Yukon Golds, quartered
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 tsp whole-grain mustard (optional, stirred in at the end)
• Fresh parsley for serving

How to Make It

Heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron or heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add the potatoes in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 5 minutes until a crust forms on the bottom. Flip and cook another 4–5 minutes. They don’t need to be fully cooked yet.

Add the sausage and cook 4 minutes until browned. Push everything to the edges and cook the onion in the center 3 minutes, then add the garlic, paprika, and thyme for 1 minute. Stir everything together and cook another 3–4 minutes until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork. Stir in the mustard if using, season with salt and pepper, and scatter parsley over the top. Serve straight from the pan.

Final Thoughts

One common thread runs through all twelve of these recipes: sausage does the heavy lifting, so you don’t have to. Between its built-in seasoning, its ability to brown fast, and the flavor it contributes to every other ingredient in the pan, sausage makes 30-minute dinners taste like they took much longer.

Keep a variety of sausage types in your freezer — Italian, smoked, chorizo, andouille — and you’ve essentially got a weeknight dinner solution ready to go at any time. Pair them with whatever vegetables, grains, or pasta you have on hand, and you’ll rarely cook the same dinner twice.

Don’t be afraid to swap proteins, adjust heat levels, or change up the vegetables based on what’s available. These recipes are frameworks, not rigid formulas — and most of them taste even better the next day.