Dig into creamy Kielbasa Pasta with zucchini and sriracha for a kick of spicy flavor! You’ll savor this amazing 20-minute weeknight dinner!
Kielbasa Pasta with Spicy Cream Sauce is one of those delicious dinner recipes you’ll just going eat up – literally! The ingredients list is short (pasta, kielbasa, zucchini, and cream sauce), the cooking time is shorter (the entire dish is ready in the time it takes to make the pasta), and the spice level of the sriracha is JUST right!
Turn the Spice UP … or Down!
Silky smooth sriracha is my first choice for spicy sauces! This Thai sauce is a little sweet, a little tangy, and has a little kick. It’s so popular they even make sriracha-flavored chips and crackers, sriracha vodka, even sriracha candy.
The quarter-cup of sriracha in this recipe makes this Kielbasa Pasta with Spicy Cream Sauce one of the best pasta dishes I’ve had in forever! But if you’re not a “spicy person”, you can bump it back to an eighth of a cup. On the other hand, if you like to “feel the heat”, then kick it up a notch and add more sauce or a little sriracha garlic or sweet chili paste.
Other Recipes to Serve with Pasta with Spicy Cream Sauce
This recipe already has a protein, carb, veggie and dairy, so what more could you want? Oh, I know:
- Buttery Beer Bread is a quick bread that’s easy to make and goes beautifully with almost every meal, especially pasta or soup!
- This Thai Iced Tea is sweet and delicious and is a perfect complement to the sriracha spice in the pasta.
Ingredients
Protein: Just one Kielbasa sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces is all you need for this pasta recipe!
Veggies: Like with the protein, just one zucchini sliced into 1/2″ rings is all that’s required.
Pasta: A 12-16 ounce box of penne pasta. Gluten-free pasta will work just as well!
Sauce: To make the creamy sauce, use olive oil, all-purpose flour (again, if you’re going for gluten-free, substitute a G-F flour), milk, garlic, sriracha sauce, and salt & pepper.
Garnish: Sliced green onions scattered over the top add another layer of flavor and color.
How to Make Kielbasa Pasta with Spicy Cream Sauce
STEP ONE: Put the pasta water on to boil. Cook the past according to the package directions until al dente. While that cooks, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add in zucchini slices and cook until gently brown – a minute or two on each side. Remove zucchini from skillet.
STEP TWO: Add sliced kielbasa to skillet and sear the sausage to brown the slices on both sides, then remove from the skillet.
STEP THREE: Add the remainder of the olive oil to the pan and mix with the flour over medium heat, stirring for 2 minutes until smooth. Add in the minced garlic and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Reduce to low heat and slowly add the milk, stirring constantly. When the mixture is creamy and lump-free, turn the heat up and bring to a slow boil, stirring often. When the sauce begins to thicken, remove the skillet from the heat.
STEP FOUR: Stir in the sriracha hot sauce. Season the sauce with salt & pepper, if needed.
STEP FIVE: Add the cooked pasta, zucchini, and kielbasa to the sauce. Stir everything together until coated in the sauce. Serve with chopped green onion on top as a garnish.
Tips for Success
- This dish comes together quickly. Have all the ingredients on hand from the start and pre-slice the kielbasa and zucchini.
- You can easily change out the kielbasa sausage for either chicken or shrimp. Both make an equally delicious bowl of sriracha cream pasta! Just make sure the protein is cooked ahead of time.
What Can I Substitute for Kielbasa?
Some other sausages also work well in the pasta recipe. In place of the kielbasa, substitute Andouille sausage, Mexican chorizo, German bratwurst or Italian sausage! Each will slightly change the flavor of the dish, but who knows? You might enjoy one of those even more!
What Can I Serve with Spicy Cream Pasta?
This pasta is really a complete dinner recipe all on its own, which is one of the many reasons I love it! But if you’re serving a larger group, a cool, crispy green Asian salad makes a great starter. Air-fryer green beans or asparagus are crispy, healthy side dish accompaniments. Or, if you’re fully keto, serve this Sriracha Cream Sauce with Kielbasa and zucchini over a bed of roasted Brussels sprouts or Zoodles!
Other Creamy Pasta Perfection:
- Creamy Caprese Pasta
- Pasta con Broccoli
- Creamy Chicken Bacon Ziti
- Lemon Asparagus Pasta
- Creamy Spinach & Artichoke Pasta
*This post originally posted on 10/07/2015.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces farfalle pasta (or any short pasta)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 2 medium zucchini ends removed and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
- 14 ounces kielbasa sausage cut into bite-sized slices
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ cup sriracha
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Green onions thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini slices to the hot oil and cook for 1-2 minutes per side until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the sliced kielbasa to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil to the skillet. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Add the minced garlic and ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Turn the heat to low and slowly pour in milk while constantly whisking (to prevent lumps). Turn the heat back up to medium-high and bring to a slow boil, until the sauce has thickened. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in sriracha sauce. Check the seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Add the cooked zucchini, kielbasa, and pasta to the skillet. Stir until everything is well coated.
- Transfer to a serving bowl or portion into individual bowls and garnish with some sliced green onions on top before serving warm.
LaTrice says
My kind of dinner!!
Jennifer says
With the sriracha sauce it just says 1/4. I was think 1/4 of a cup?
Julie K says
So sorry about that! It’s 1/4 cup. We’ve updated the recipe as well. Thank you so much for bringing this to our attention!