Table of Contents
- Why I Love This Creamy Sausage Pasta Recipe
- Creamy Sausage Pasta Ingredients
- How to Make This Creamy Sausage Pasta
- Pro Tips for Success
- Variations and Substitutions
- Serving and Storage
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Pasta Recipes
- Watch How to Make This Creamy Sausage Pasta
- Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
- Creamy Sausage Pasta Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
This Creamy Sausage Pasta is a late-summer dream: smoky poblano peppers add gentle heat, sweet corn brings crisp sweetness, and savory sausage deepens the flavor. Ready in under 30 minutes, it’s the perfect blend of spice, sweetness, and creaminess for a quick, unforgettable meal!
Why I Love This Creamy Sausage Pasta Recipe
There’s something about creamy sausage pasta with sweet corn and poblano peppers that just feels like a celebration of late summer’s best flavors. The smoky poblano peppers lend a gentle warmth without overpowering, while the juicy sweet corn adds a crisp, bright contrast to the creamy sauce. Every forkful has a little spice, a little sweetness, and a lot of depth from the sausage. It’s like comfort food with a bit of an unexpected twist—something that’s familiar but also unique and so satisfying.
What I love most about this dish, though, is how effortlessly it comes together. But it’s special enough that it can work for practically any occasion. In less than 30 minutes, you can go from raw ingredients to a big bowl of warm pasta that’s bursting with tons of creamy flavor. It’s become one of those go-to recipes that’s perfect for those busy evenings when you just want something cozy and delicious. Plus, the combination of corn and poblano peppers makes it a treat to cook up during late summer, bringing fresh ingredients right to the table.
Creamy Sausage Pasta Ingredients
- Pasta is the dish’s base. Thick rigatoni soaks up the flavors from the sauce to form a tender dish.
- Poblano peppers bring spice to the meal, providing both heat and depth.
- Onion adds a sharp tanginess to the dish, pushing the flavor.
- Sweet corn balances the spice and tanginess of the dish, sweetening the meal while adding more texture.
- Sausage adds richness and texture to the dish, building complex layers.
- Black pepper and kosher salt season the dish, heightening the other flavors.
- Parmesan cheese brings a nutty saltiness. It adds classic cheese flavor to the cream sauce.
- Heavy cream serves as the base for the sauce, creating a smoother texture to the dish.
How to Make This Creamy Sausage Pasta
There are three steps to making poblano Sweet Corn Pasta:
- Prepare the pasta
- Prepare the sauce
- Assemble the dish
Step 1: Prepare the pasta. In a large stockpot, bring water to a boil. Season with kosher salt. Cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions.
Step 2: Prepare the sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the sausage in the pan. Add the diced onion. Meanwhile, cut the poblano peppers into bite-sized strips. Once the sausage has browned slightly, add the peppers. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Stir in the sweet corn kernels, add the heavy cream, and mix everything together.
Step 3: Assemble the dish. Add the pasta and Parmesan cheese to the skillet. Toss together with the sauce and let simmer for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.
Pro Tips for Success
- If the pan becomes too browned with the fond from cooking the sausage, use a small amount of pasta water to deglaze it. Pour the water over the pan, allow it to foam, and scrape the pan to remove the burnt pieces.
- If using low-fat sausage, add some high-heat oil to the pan while cooking. This helps roast the poblanos and brings out additional flavor.
- Use freshly grated Parmesan cheese to finish the recipe. It provides better flavor and texture to the dish as compared to pre-grated Parmesan, which comes in a container and can be somewhat chalky.
Variations and Substitutions
This quick dish is customizable and—as a weeknight meal—it can be changed for ease and necessity.
- Meat: Swap out the sausage for chicken or turkey sausage alternatives. Since these meats are leaner, sometimes a small amount of oil or chicken stock must be added to help the peppers cook.
- Vegetables: Additional vegetables like grape tomatoes, shallot, or garlic would be great additions to this meal. It’s a perfect way to use up some extra produce.
- Spice level: If poblanos cannot be found, many other peppers can replace them. Serrano chiles work great and amp up the heat level a bit further. Jalapeños are slightly milder, while green bell peppers will add color but remove the spice level altogether.
Serving and Storage
To serve: Serve warm. Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired. Bread and side salads are great accompaniments. If you’re looking for suggestions, try these:
- Beer bread
- Overnight sourdough bread
- No-fail dilly bread
- Spicy pear kale salad
- Butternut squash salad with apple cider vinegar dressing
To store: Place any leftover pasta in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. The leftovers will last for 3 to 5 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, of course! Turkey and chicken sausage are also great options, but they can also be excluded to make it a vegetarian meal. If opting to leave out the meat, high-heat oil will need to be used to cook the poblano peppers.
All types work: canned, fresh, and frozen sweet corn can all be used in this dish. Use whichever you have on hand to make this an easy weeknight meal!
Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge and consumed within 3 to 5 days.
Watch How to Make This Creamy Sausage Pasta
Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?
I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!
Creamy Sausage Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz dried pasta (such as rigatoni)
- 1 lb sweet or hot bulk Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion halved and sliced
- 3 medium poblano peppers seeded, halved, and sliced into ¼-inch pieces (about 1 ½ cups)
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup frozen, fresh, or canned sweet corn
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the package instructions. Once cooked, drain the pasta and reserve one cup of cooking water. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sausage.12 oz dried pasta (such as rigatoni)
- Prepare the sauce. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the sausage and onion. Break into small pieces and cook until it is fully browned, 6-8 minutes. Add the poblano pepper, salt, and black pepper. Sauté until the peppers are slightly softened, 4-6 minutes. Add the sweet corn and heavy cream. Bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low for 1-2 minutes.1 lb sweet or hot bulk Italian sausage, 1 medium onion, 3 medium poblano peppers, 1 tsp kosher salt, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup frozen, fresh, or canned sweet corn, 1 cup heavy cream
- Assemble the dish. Add the cooked and drained pasta and the Parmesan cheese. Stir together with the simmering sauce. Add ¼ cup of reserved pasta water (more as needed to achieve a creamy pasta), add a bit more Parmesan cheese, and serve.1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
I made this for dinner (with different cheese because I didn’t have any parm) and it was amazing! The poblanos add the perfect amount of mild heat. This is definitely going to be part of the regular rotation!