Enjoy a flavorful One Pot Kielbasa and Broccoli pasta dinner in less than 30 minutes with simple ingredients that can be found in your pantry and refrigerator!
Back in 2016 when I first shared this recipe I was a new mom to a toddler, juggling a house and a business. I struggled so much with figured out what to make for dinner. I dreaded when the clock struck 4pm during the work week. I would find myself exhausted and not wanting to cook. If I didn’t meal plan I was in big trouble. That’s when I started creating one pot meal recipes. My One Pot Kielbasa and Broccoli Pasta has been a go-to for over 5 years now. It’s a pasta recipe that I always have almost all the ingredients on hand at any given time.
I love this kielbasa pasta recipe because it requires minimal prep and dishes after dinner. Can you imagine minimal dishes, and a flavorful dinner on the table in 30 minutes? My husband and I are both Polish, so kielbasa is a staple ingredient in our diet. We love to grill it, or just boil it and eat it with pierogies. However, most recently I’ve been adding it to pasta dishes and it has amplified the flavors of our meal. Pasta on it’s own is good, but when you add in the kielbasa it amplifies the flavor.
Ingredients for Kielbasa Pasta
- Oil – I like to use olive oil but grapeseed oil works, too.
- Onion – The onion adds a little extra flavor to the pasta.
- Kielbasa – I always have a package of kielbasa in my refrigerator for a quick and easy meal.
- Bow Tie Pasta – I like this pasta cut best, but any type can work.
- Broccoli – I used baby broccoli for this recipe; however, regular broccoli would be fine. And if you don’t have fresh broccoli on hand you could use frozen. Just add the frozen broccoli in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Spinach – I typically like to add in 2 cups of spinach or some sort of leafy green (like a power blend). It just depends on what I have on hand. Either work well, and if you don’t like the leafy greens then don’t add them.
- Lemon – You can use fresh lemon juice or concentrate.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese – I like to use the grated cheese.
Directions
Preheat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and diced onion. Cook for 2 minutes. While the onion cooks, slice the kielbasa and chop the broccoli. Add to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes.
Then add in the bow tie pasta, mix well and add the water. Place the lid on the skillet and cook for 15 minutes.
At the 10 minute point add in the chopped broccoli stalk. Mix well and cover. At the 3 minute point add in the tops of the broccoli. Mix well and cover.
Once the water has absorbed turn the heat off. Mix in the fresh spinach and lemon juice.
Add in half the grated Pecorino romano cheese, mix and add in the rest of the cheese. Divide evenly among plates, top with cracked black pepper and enjoy.
Kielbasa Pasta FAQs
This one pot pasta recipe serves 6 very hungry adults or a family of 4 with leftovers for lunch the next day!
Kielbasa is a great smoked sausage you can easily pair with soups, stews, casseroles, pastas, rice. You can spruce up breakfast and add kielbasa sausage to eggs or pair with pancakes or waffles.
You have multiple ways to cook kielbasa. For this recipe you will pan fry then allow to boil in with the pasta. You can also boil kielbasa, bake the sausage in the oven, or even grill it!
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few of my tips and tricks when making pasta with kielbasa.
- Bow Tie Pasta – I like this pasta cut best, but any type can work.
- Broccoli – I used baby broccoli for this recipe; however, regular broccoli would be fine. And if you don’t have fresh broccoli on hand you could use frozen. Just add the frozen broccoli in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Spinach – I typically like to add in 2 cups of spinach or some sort of leafy green (like a power blend). It just depends on what I have on hand. Either work well, and if you don’t like the leafy greens then don’t add them.
- Sausage – If you don’t have kielbasa on hand you can use Italian Sausage. Either ground or links work. The links you would just have to cut into bite-size pieces. Also, because Italian sausage is not pre-cooked it’s very important to make sure it three-quarters of the way cooked through before adding pasta.
Kielbasa Recipes
If you love kielbasa, you will love these other recipes.
If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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One Pot Kielbasa and Broccoli Pasta
Equipment
- Stove Top
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 12 oz. kielbasa sliced in moon shapes
- 3 cups bow tie pasta
- 3 cups water
- 1 bunch baby broccoli
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and diced onion. Cook for 2 minutes.
- While the onion cooks, slice the kielbasa and chop the broccoli. Add to the skillet and cook for 3 minutes.
- Then add in the bow tie pasta, mix well and add the water. Place the lid on the skillet and cook for 15 minutes. At the 10 minute point add in the chopped broccoli stalk. Mix well and cover. At the 3 minute point add in the tops of the broccoli. Mix well and cover.
- Once the water has absorbed turn the heat off. Mix in the fresh spinach and lemon juice. Add in half the grated Pecorino Romano cheese, mix and add in the rest of the cheese. Divide evenly among plates, top with cracked black pepper and enjoy.
Notes
- Bow Tie Pasta – I like this pasta cut best, but any type can work.
- Broccoli – I used baby broccoli for this recipe; however, regular broccoli would be fine. And if you don’t have fresh broccoli on hand you could use frozen. Just add the frozen broccoli in during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Spinach – I typically like to add in 2 cups of spinach or some sort of leafy green (like a power blend). It just depends on what I have on hand. Either work well, and if you don’t like the leafy greens then don’t add them.
Nutrition
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Jen
Everyone loved this toddlers included. Thank you for an easy weeknight recipe!
Katie
Jen, so glad to read this. My family loves this recipe too.
Amy
The recipe is super confusing if you don’t read ahead. “Add to the skillet” right after “chop the kielbasa and broccoli” tells me that I should be adding both. Then I find out afterwards that I was supposed to put the broccoli in later and even more so, separate the broccoli as I was cutting it. The lack of details early on made my recipe turn out poorly.
Katie
Hi Amy, I’m sorry to read that you found the way I wrote this recipe confusing. I will definitely go back and revise so others don’t have this issue. However, it is always a good rule of thumb no matter what recipe you are making to read the recipe first THEN start cooking from it. I do this ALL the time to ensure that I cook the recipe properly. 😉
Melissa Carroll
Delicious recipe, Katie!
Katie
Melissa, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a 5 star review!
Katarina
Step 2 and 4 are a bit contradictory. Do you add some of the broccoli in step  2 and save the rest for step 4? Want to double check before making
Katie
Hi Katarina, I apologize for the confusion. You’ll add the kielbasa to the pot then the broccoli in step 4. Sorry about that!