Kielbasa with Creamy Mustard Pasta
Kielbasa pasta with a mustard cream sauce is a comforting and hearty dinner. Sausage and mustard is a classic combination, and when you turn it into a cozy pasta dish, you get the familiar flavors served up in a new way.
Kielbasa Pasta Recipe
This kielbasa pasta is definitely a once-in-a-while recipe, best served on a cold winter’s day when only something hearty and rich will do. It’s a recipe for mustard fans, otherwise known as those who like a heavy dose of tangy sharp Dijon. In this case, it’s offset by cream that turns it into a silky smooth mustard cream sauce that coats the pasta and complements the kielbasa.
How to Make It
Thanks to easy prep, you’ll have this pasta ready to serve in about 30 minutes. While the pasta cooks, sear the sausage and then make the sauce in the same pan. The flavor left by the sausage infuses the mustard sauce taking it to a delicious flavor level.
More Cozy pASTAS
| Truffle Mushroom Pasta | Garlic Shrimp Pasta | Creamy Mushroom Pasta |
PrintKielbasa with Creamy Mustard Pasta
Kielbasa and mustard is a classic combo and here I’ve turned into a cozy pasta dinner.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces penne or other short pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 14 ounces kielbasa, sliced
- ½ medium red onion, sliced thin
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- ¼ cup butter
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (see note)
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
- Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the sliced kielbasa and cook it until it starts to brown and crisp on each side, approximately a couple of minutes on each side. Remove the it from the pan.
- In the same pan, add the onions. Add the wine and, as it bubbles, scrape up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme and stir it until the wine has mostly evaporated.
- Add the butter, and once it’s melted, add the cream and mustard and stir. Bring it to a low simmer for a few minutes or until it thickens. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until the cheese is melted and the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the cooked pasta to the mustard cream sauce and stir to combine. To serve, either mix the sausage into the pasta or top each serving of pasta with some sausage.
Notes
Dijon has a bite and a little goes a long way for me, but if you would like it extra zingy consider increasing the mustard by a teaspoon or so.
Nutrition
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 2.7g
- Sodium: 1285.5mg
- Fat: 40.5g
- Saturated Fat: 18.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.8g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 48.4g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 23.3g
- Cholesterol: 120.5mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
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Ingredient Substitutions
- Pasta: You can use a different pasta shape for this recipe. I like penne (and usually have it on hand), but use what you have. Other short pasta shapes will work, or try it with spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine.
- Onion: I like red onion, but white or yellow onion will work, too.
- Wine: The wine adds acidity (the alcohol cooks off), but you can use chicken stock, vegetable broth, or even water in its place.
- Fresh thyme: If you don’t have any fresh herbs, you can sub 1/2 teaspoon of dried herbs. Or, you can use fresh chopped parsley.
- Dijon: Any bold mustard will work well. Grainy brown mustard would work really well. Also, if you really love mustard, you might want to increase the amount in the recipe, as some other readers have mentioned in the comments.
Recipe Tips
This pasta is pretty rich, so a little goes a long way. Add some crusty bread and a crisp, lightly dressed green salad on the side to make it a special meal.
I think it’s best when it’s made while the sauce is creamy and velvety. That said, leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Just keep in mind the sauce won’t be as creamy when you reheat it.
I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers – the sauce will not hold up well.
This kielbasa with creamy mustard pasta is a delicious way to make a chilly, cold day a little cozier. I hope you love it ❤
Want more cozy dinner ideas? Check out my Comfort Food Recipes collection for more inspiration.
Happy cooking,
More Winter Dinner Recipes
This kielbasa pasta post has been updated from the archives. It was first published in January 2017.
YUM this looks awesome. My picky, picky kids LOVE kielbasa and mustard, I think we have a winner here.
This is great…35 minutes from stove to table and packed with some of my favorites. I did add some mushrooms and they were a nice addition. Hit the spot on a cold winter night and best of all it was so easy to put together! Thanks
I love the mushroom idea! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
My husband, two year old and I have this at least every other week! One of our favorites! Thank you for the delish recipe.
So glad you liked it!
This was good but not mustardy enough I found. Also there was butter mentioned in the ingredients but not referenced in the recipe. Wondering if it’s crucial.
Hi Nathan, thanks for pointing out the butter – I updated the recipe instructions. Also, I find Dijon has a bite so a little goes a long way with me, but the amount can be adjusted. I’m adding a note in the recipe about this, so thank you for letting me know your thoughts!
I had some kale I needed to use up, so I threw it in this dish. So good! Thanks for the recipe!
So glad you liked it! The kale add-in sounds delicious 🙂
DELICIOUS!!! Added mushrooms & green pepper (just because I needed to use them up). Also used chicken stock instead of white wine, otherwise stuck to recipe. The mustard adds a wonderful taste. Will be making this many more times. Thank you for a great recipe!
I love the modifications you made! Thank you for sharing that 🙂
Very simple but strong taste. Made some changes but only enhanced the recipe. Definitely a winner!! Thx for posting.
Have everything to make this but the dijon. Can you use spicy brown mustard instead?
I haven’t tried it with spicy brown mustard, but I think it should work fine. Let me know how it goes!
This was so good! Made a few modifications based on what I had/prefer: white onion instead of red, added mushrooms, and added extra mustard cause I’m a mushroom fiend. Amazing!
Love that you added mushrooms – sounds great! Thanks for letting me know (and for your rating!)
I’m making this tonight. We are a dry household, so I’m wondering if in place of the wine i could use vinegar instead for the acidity. Which would you suggest? Apple cider or white? Also thinking of adding swiss chard.
I think apple cider vinegar would work really well! For the chard, I would saute it after you brown the sausage – once it’s cooked down take it out and do the rest of the recipe. Add it back into the sauce at the end – hope that helps!
I made this with Marsala wine vinegar but it would also be great with white balsamic I think. I added green beans and increased the mustard, fresh thyme, and cream. I think next time I will also add capers. Everyone loved it!
Love the adjustments you made – thanks for letting me know!
Made this..added dill, salt pepper and garlic in the wine cooking process with the onions, and added more dijon and more dill in with the sauce. Also subbed out the apple cider vin. for the wine and it came out beautifully. Doubled everything and eyeballed mostly everything listed because we have some hungry people and we love our sauces. This was delicious. Definitely going on one of my faves.
So tasty and super easy to make! I ended up adding about 2 tablespoons of mustard due to personal preference, but this seems like a very forgiving recipe. I could see using different types of mustard or smoked sausage. This was a big hit with my husband too. Will definitely make this again.
So glad you enjoyed it!
This was so delicious!!!! I’m making this for everyone who comes to my house. A new favorite. Thank you!!!
That’s great! So, happy you love it 🙂
This dish is AMAZING! One of my new favorite pasta dishes and unlike any pasta dish I’ve had. Thanks for sharing!
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Looks great, I can’t wait to try this! Is it safe to assume this calls for creamy Dijon and not whole grain? Thanks!
I use creamy Dijon but you can use whole grain if you want!
This is my favorite kielbasa recipe, love the mustard element. Can’t use alcohol, so I sub apple cider vinegar and think it works even better than white wine would!
Apple cider vinegar sounds great – definitely goes with the other flavors and adds the zing! So glad you like the recipe!