Creamy Pasta and Sausage Skillet (Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Real Food, Vegan Option)

This. This dish is everything! This sort of comfort food dish came together one day after a long day of errands. In the time the pasta took to cook, the rest of the ingredients were ready to go. And, man oh man, this was good!

This recipes uses Kite Hill brand cream cheese, and as I have mentioned in previous posts and this brand is legitimately good! It is an almond milk based product, super creamy, and it fools everyone into thinking they are having dairy.

This quick dish can be made vegetarian by omitting the spicy sausage, or swapping it out with sliced and browned mushrooms.

I topped each serving with some fresh basil but I know that stirring in the basil would be very delicious, too.

And because we are obviously hooked, here are previous posts using Kite Hill products:

Creamy Crab Dip
Easy Tuna Pate
Fluffy Cream Cheese Pancakes
Family Favorite Lasagna

And heads up: Kite Hill yogurt is really good, too.

Creamy Pasta and Sausage Casserole

16 gluten-free ziti pasta (I used a white rice pasta by Natural Grocers)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb hot Italian sausage (I used Mulay's)*
1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, seeded and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flake (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 oz Kite Hill Cream Cheese Style Spread, chive flavor - softened
1/4 thinly sliced fresh basil

In a large pot, cook the pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, warm the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground sausage and brown until most of the pink is gone. Add the onions, red bell pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes (optional) - continue browning until the sausage is cooked through. Once the sausage is cooked through, add the cream cheese and stir slightly.

Once the pasta is cooked, drain lightly and add the hot pasta to the sausage skillet. The extra liquid will thin out the cream cheese a bit and make for a creamier pasta sauce. Stir well.

Stir in the fresh basil before serving. Store any leftovers in a tightly covered glass container.

*For a vegetarian option: Brown 16 oz sliced mushrooms in olive oil. Remove the mushrooms to a plate. In the same skillet, saute the onion, red bell pepper and garlic - using additional olive oil, as needed. Once those veggies are soft, add the mushrooms back to the skillet and continue with the rest of the steps above.

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