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Today, I want to talk a little bit about transition recipes. What am I talking about when I say “transition recipes” you are probably asking. Transition recipes are those recipes that are not quite 100% real food. They are perfect for when you are making the change from processed food to real food and are not yet quite ready to go all in on a real food diet. In short, transition recipes are delicious, mostly real food, and always a hit whether you live a real food lifestyle or just want to make a meal at home once in a while.
When, my family started our real food journey, my husband and I discussed a lot about how our family would react to all of the changes. Children have the reputation of not liking change and really loving those foods that they are familiar with. That’s why children’s menus at restaurants almost always have the same foods on them. Children are all different I know, but I have a couple that totally fit the stereotype. How the heck was I going to convince them that real food was a good thing and avoid temper tantrums and hunger strikes??
Transition recipes is where we decided to start. We looked for recipes that had familiar ingredients that we could work on cleaning up. Change the cheese to organic or change out the pasta to whole wheat for example. My strategy was to get as much real food into my family while I worked to reduce the bad processed stuff. This strategy worked great for us. I encourage you to try the slow transition method if you have been thinking about making the change to real food.
Today, I am sharing this one pot smoked sausage pasta recipe. It’s perfect for busy evenings when there is a lot going on. It comes together quickly and since you just use one pot, it’s a quick clean up also. This recipe makes a nice family size meal so you may have extras. The leftovers are fantastic. Pack the leftover one pot smoked sausage pasta in a thermos and you have a delicious lunch the next day.
One Pot Smoked Sausage Pasta
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 lb smoked sausage
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 12 oz can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 8 oz dry whole wheat bow tie pasta
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Slice smoked sausage into bite sized pieces.
- Add olive oil to pan and sauté onions and sausage.
- Stir in garlic.
- Add chicken broth, diced tomatoes, cream, and pepper. Stir till mixed well.
- Add pasta. Make sir that the pasta is stirred into the sauce and covered with liquid.
- Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Add 1 cup of cheddar cheese. Stir until melted.
- Serve with additional cheese and sour cream if desired.
Have you started a real food journey? What are your tips for making the transition? How do you handle complaints about the changes in the food you serve??
Want more simple recipes your family is sure to love? Make sure you check out my recipe index. I add new recipes all of the time so make sure you check back often. You will also want to grab this free meal-planning printable calendar to make your meal planning easier. It has areas to plan your daily activities and your evening meal prep to keep you organized.
If you need a nice new ceramic non-stick pot that is dishwasher safe, we recommend this one.
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Do you cook the noodles first or will they cook in the sauce?
There is no need to cook the pasta first.
I love pasta cooked beforehand because it looks like yucky hamburger helper when you cook the noodles in the recipe
Same here I pre cook my pasta all ways
To be honest with the fast its smoked sausage most are already precooked
They cook in the sauce. I used Rotini because it’s what I had and just followed the recipe. It turned out amazing!
Can you double this recipe?
Of course you can double the recipe! The bigger the crowd, the more fun.
Can we use fresh tomatoes? Do we have to use canned tomatoes?
Fresh tomatoes would taste fantastic!
I am a super busy mom of 5, (4 of which are teenage boys)! And this was easy and not time consuming at all. Best part is, it tastes amazing. Huge hit in my household. I just doubled the receipt. Thank you!
Can I put this in a crockpot to cook? If so how long would I set the crockpot for?
How many servings does this recipe make? Or what is a serving size?
Makes about 4-6 servings depending on how hungry you are.
I would think that would depend on how much you eat. I’ve made things that say it feeds 6 but won’t feed 3. We eat pretty large servings and if we triple this it’s enough for 3 of us to eat on for 2 nights. For pasta and soups we use these big deep cereal bowls. Depending on how many you are feeding and how much you eat doubling it should give you a couple nights
This was amazing. I added a little more pasta and a little more of both liquids. Plus some peas. It was so delicious and so easy to make!
I added spinach and shrimp to mine! Cooked the noodles first on accident but probably was so much better!! Super creamy
So i made this without checking to see if i had whole wheat pasta (or even pasta in general) and all i had was whole grain rice. And it turned out sooooo good. Just a little note for anyone who doesn’t have pasta.
Amy recently posted…10 Simple Ways to Eat Healthier This Year
How much rice did you in and was it cooked rice or dry?
Do you drain the liquid from the diced tomatoes can prior to putting in the pan?
I just tossed the whole can in.
This was delicious!! What a great meal
This recipe was SO easy and delicious. My 2 year old even wanted seconds so, thank you! I did fire roasted tomatoes and just did onion seasoning instead as we love onion flavor but not biting into it. We are a very busy household with a 2 year old and 3 month old so this being so fast to make and easy, it’ll become a staple in our home.
Can I put this is the crockpot? And for how long?
For my picky eaters who don’t like tomatoes, I puréed one tomato! Was excellent!
Any chance there is nutrition information? I really want to make this but I have to watch a few things for my husband.
What do you think about using fresh polish and not smoked?
Can i substitute anything for heavy cream?didn’t have any at the store
Whole milk would probably work
I made this and everyone loved it. I’m a vegetarian so I took out the sausage and added orange bell pepper and some green chili’s. I also added some jalapeño too both of then. I added some pepper jack cheese to mine as well!!!!
Can this be frozen and heated up/cooked later?
this is incredibly easy to make and absolutely delicious! it was a huge hit at my house. thank you!
This was yummy! I added some shrimp and fresh basil at the end. My husband requested I make this again.
Can you make this in the slow cooker? Do you just throw in the pasta or do you have to cook it first? How long oin the slow cooker?
can you make this in the crockpot?
It’s so quick to make why would you even want to use a crock pot?
Can this be frozen and reheated? Trying to find recipes I can make in advance for my father in law to have in his freezer.
Made as a last minute dinner. LOVED it!
Family loved this and it couldnt have been easier.
I have seen several comments about can you put this in the slow cooker and no response has anybody tried this because I would like to know too
Was very easy to make. Added mixed peppers to the mix. Took no time to make and is a keeper.
I didn’t have sausage so I used diced chicken breast and did Rotel to zest it up a bit. Didn’t have cream so milk was my choice and added some parm to thicken it a tad. We’ll see how it turns out but it smells delicious and has a few minutes left.
Can I make this with water instead of chicken broth?
Would you perfer to cook this in a pot or a big skillet?
Wasn’t creamy enough after covering it to cook. More like soup. I also think I will cook the pasta separate next time because I think the pasta will be overcooked now that I’m cooking the liquid longer. Good recipe but just will make a few tweaks next time!
Hi, would this taste fine without cheese? I don’t like cheese but really wanted to try something new and this looks great.
Made this for dinner tonight and everyone loved it! It’s not easy to please everyone at my table. Thank you for the recipe!!
This recipe is my all time favorite! I used diced tomatoes and habaneros to give it a little kick! Made following the recipe exact is also great too!
Made this and my picky hubby and toddlers ate it up! I added spinach for some veggies and had to use orzo pasta bc I had no bowtie pasta…easy to customize! Delish!
Can you use cauliflower florets with this instead of pasta? My husband is keto
I currently cannot consume dairy, so we subbed the cream for soy heavy cream and used a dairy free cheese alternative. It was fantastic!
This was so good and super easy to make. I added a little more cream and some onion and herb seasoning. In my bowl I topped it with a little French onion dip instead of sour cream. Delicious.
Delicious and so easy!! We added extra of everything and it made a nice big batch!! My son loves this! It’s now his favorite!! Thank you!!
This is my family’s favorite dinner! We had it for the first time 3 weeks ago and have had it weekly since. Thaank you for suck a tasty and quick recipe that has easy cleanup!
Turned out delicious. Will make again.
Do you drain the can tomatoes in your “one pot smoked sausage pasta?
I loved this recipe. I used rotel and added Cajun seasoning! 5 stars⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What am I doing wrong? Followed if exactly and liquid didn’t cover noodles
Love seeing how this recipe can be customized in so many different ways! From substitutions like rice or milk to additions like spinach and shrimp, it seems there are endless possibilities to adapt it to each family’s taste. For those looking for a dairy-free alternative or a lighter option, have you tried using coconut cream or plant-based yogurt as substitutes? Share your favorite adaptations – I’m curious to see how you’ve reinvented this dish!