Easy Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet ($10 Family Dinner Idea)

This is one of my easiest, go-to family dinners! It is seriously so easy. And it’s a winner if your family loves macaroni and cheese! If you shop sales or use coupons, you can get both pasta and kielbasa for very cheap — which means this Cheesy Kielbasa Skillet meal is just about as frugal as it gets!

Have I mentioned how versatile this skillet meal is? You can change up the meat, the type of pasta, the seasonings and the cheese! You can mix your favorite cooked veggies straight into the pasta, or you can serve them on the side like I did (because I have a picky family!).

I served steamed peas and buttered toasted garlic buns (using buns I got off of the discount cart at the back of Walmart!) alongside this Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet, but there are so many sides that would pair well with this main dish!

This post is part of our $10 Dinner Ideas series, brought to you by Brigette on our team! Each week, she shares easy, delicious, and affordable family-friendly dinner ideas that cost less than $10 to make, use everyday ingredients, and are super quick meals.

Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet Menu:

Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet

Steamed Peas

Buttered Toasted Garlic Buns

Ingredients laid out on a table including milk, shredded cheese, kielbasa sausage, pasta, peas, butter, and seasonings for making a kielbasa pasta skillet.

Ingredients for Cheesy Kielbasa Skillet and Sides:

1 14-oz package kielbasa (Publix – sales + coupons) — $1.30

1 16-oz box pasta (Aldi) — $1.89

4 cups chicken broth (I used 4 chicken bouillon cubes and 4 cups water) (Aldi – $1.79 for 25 cubes) — $0.29

1 cup milk (Aldi – $3.08 per gallon) — $0.19

1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (Aldi) — $2.47

4-6 day-old buns, split in half (Walmart – $0.99 for a big bag) — $0.30

1 stick butter, softened (Aldi – $2.99 for 1lb) — $0.75

Garlic powder, salt, and parsley or Italian seasoning

2 bags peas (Aldi) — $1.94

Total for Dinner: $9.13 (makes 6 servings)

Skillet filled with rotini pasta and sliced kielbasa in a creamy sauce served with a bowl of green peas and toasted bread on the side

How to Make Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the kielbasa into bite-size pieces. Saute in a pan lightly sprayed with cooking oil until starting to brown.

Sliced kielbasa sausage browning in a pan with butter, showing the first step of cooking a kielbasa skillet recipe.

2. Add 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 16oz of uncooked pasta to the skillet. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is done (I partially cover the skillet with a vented lid while it’s cooking).

3. While the pasta is cooking, split the buns in half and put on a cookie sheet. Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and parsley flakes. Bake at 450 degrees until lightly browned.

4. Cook the peas using your favorite method (I used the microwave, haha!).

5. When the pasta is done, stir in the 3 cups of shredded cheese.

Shredded cheese scattered over hot rotini pasta and kielbasa in a skillet as it begins to melt into the dish for a cheesy kielbasa skillet.

6. Continue to stir until the cheese is melted.

Tight view of creamy rotini pasta and sliced kielbasa pieces in a skillet, emphasizing the rich sauce and browned sausage in this kielbasa skillet.

7. Serve the Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet with the toasted buns and the steamed peas!

Close up of rotini pasta mixed with browned kielbasa slices coated in a creamy sauce in a pan, highlighting the texture of this kielbasa skillet meal.

Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet

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This is one of my easiest, go-to family dinners! It is seriously so easy. And it’s a winner if your family loves macaroni and cheese! If you shop sales or use coupons, you can get both pasta and kielbasa for very cheap — which means this cheesy kielbasa skillet meal is just about as frugal as it gets!

Course Bread, dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword bread, easy dinner, family favorite, pasta, weeknight dinner

Servings

Calories 759kcal

Author Brigette

Cost $9.13

Ingredients

1 package kielbasa (14-oz) Publix – sales + coupons — $1.301 box pasta (16-ounce) Aldi — $1.894 cups chicken broth I used 4 chicken bouillon cubes and 4 cups water (Aldi – $1.79 for 25 cubes) — $0.291 cup milk Aldi – $3.08 per gallon — $0.191 1/2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon pepper3 cups shredded cheddar cheese Aldi — $2.474-6 day-old buns split in half (Walmart – $0.99 for a big bag) — $0.301 stick butter softened (Aldi – $2.99 for 1lb) — $0.75Garlic powder, salt, and parsley or Italian seasoning2 bags peas Aldi — $1.94

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Slice the kielbasa into bite-size pieces. Saute in a pan lightly sprayed with cooking oil until starting to brown.

Add 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 16oz of uncooked pasta to the skillet. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes or until the pasta is done (I partially cover the skillet with a vented lid while it’s cooking).

While the pasta is cooking, split the buns in half and put on a cookie sheet. Spread with softened butter and sprinkle with garlic powder, salt, and parsley flakes. Bake at 450 degrees until lightly browned.

Cook the peas using your favorite method (I used the microwave, haha!).

When the pasta is done, stir in the 3 cups of shredded cheese.

Continue to stir until the cheese is melted.

Serve the Cheesy Kielbasa Pasta Skillet with the toasted buns and the steamed peas!