Do you like to cook with ground sausage? Do you like broccoli? Do you like elbow macaroni pasta? Well, you are in luck! I’ve been tweaking and working out the most amazing spicy sausage broccoli macaroni that comes together in around 30 minutes.
How to Trim Broccoli
I cut off the bottom 1/3 of the broccoli stalks. If some of the stalks are thicker than others, those stalks can be divided vertically. This will allow for all the stalks to be about the same length and about the same thickness when cooking.
Substitutions for Sausage Broccoli Macaroni
The great thing about this broccoli sausage pasta – other than the great taste AND the fact it is a one pan wonder – is that you can easily substitute some of the main ingredients. There is a lot of flexibility!
Substitutions
- Substitute bowtie pasta for the elbow macaroni
- Substitute broccolini for the broccoli.
- Substitute chicken broth for the tomato broth. (The tomato broth is our favorite! It brings a nice subtle kick to the dish.)
- Substitute a different shredded cheese for the parmesan if you don’t have any parmesan.
- Substitute a combination of melted butter and milk for the heavy cream (as I did in my photos below)
- Leave out the tomato sauce and sub one extra cup of broth.
- Leave out the red pepper flakes and use chicken broth rather than tomato broth if you prefer a mild pasta with no spice.
We buy the Knorr tomato broth in the Hispanic foods section at Walmart. I probably cook with it at least once a week!
Making Elbow Macaroni with Sausage and Broccoli
As you will see in the recipe card below, the process for making elbow macaroni with sausage and broccoli is pretty simple.
It’s so simple that everything pretty much just goes straight into the pan – including the tomato broth powder. That’s right. You just put each ingredient into the pan – one right after the other!
One Pan Sausage Broccoli Macaroni
Ingredients
- ½ cup Onion chopped
- 1 lb Ground pork sausage Jimmy Dean mild is the one we use
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Red pepper flakes optional
- 2 cups Broth tomato broth (our favorite – for a spicy kick) or chicken broth
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- 8 oz Tomato sauce
- 12 oz Elbow macaroni Or any other short pasta
- 3 cups Broccoli florets fresh and chopped into smaller pieces
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cup Pepper Jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- In large pot or pan with high sides, brown onion, ground pork, red pepper flakes, and garlic over medium heat.
- Drain and return sausage to pan.
- Add broth, cream, and tomato sauce and bring to boil.
- Add macaroni, cover with lid, and cook covered for 10 minutes over medium heat.
- Add chopped broccoli to top of pasta and cook covered another 10 minutes. The broccoli will become steamed on top. Leave the broccoli just nestled into the top without pushing under the broth. (If preferred, you can steam or sautee separately and then add to pan at the very end.)
- Pasta is ready to serve when the liquid has thickened to more of a sauce consistency and macaroni is cooked through.
- Stir cheeses into sauce and cook for one minute longer.
- Garnish with a bit more parmesan and serve pasta with bread and salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Enjoy this macaroni with broccoli and sausage along with a slice of crusty French bread and a side salad!
If You Like this Sausage Macaroni with Broccoli, Visit Our Other Pasta Recipes
Southwest Pasta with Black Beans and Ground Beef
Chicken Soup with Amish Noodles
Black Eye Pea Soup with Tortellini and Sausage
Sausage and Squash Skillet with Orzo
Tallerine (Beef Noodle Casserole)
Sausage Tortellini Soup with Spinach
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