Rotel Pasta Recipe: Rotel dip is a crowd-pleaser on game day, and you can easily turn it into a full pasta dish with the same great flavors, without using Velveeta, and in only 25 minutes! Why wouldn’t pasta combined with a delicious cheese dip be amazing?
Everyone loves appetizers, so why not turn them into a meal the family will rave about? Keeping on with the “Rotel” flavors, this Chicken Spaghetti with Rotel is incredible as well, and a family-favorite.
Similar to Taco Pasta, you can customize the heat level in this Rotel pasta.
If you’re looking for other family favorites, a cream cheese pasta is easy for those that don’t like heat. For the traditionalists, a sausage pasta bake or this baked ravioli is filled with cheesy goodness.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Seasoned but not spicy: Rotel has a very mild heat, but you can always use plain diced tomatoes or adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- Make-ahead recipe: Easily reheat this on the stovetop whether you are using leftovers or making the entire meal in advance.
- Ready in only 30 minutes: The perfect weeknight meal! Cook the pasta while you brown the sausage and dinner is ready in no time.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Cheesy Rotel Pasta.
- Pasta – I love how penne looks in this dish, but any short cut will work. Use what you have on hand! I also love rotini or cavatappi.
- Ground sausage – Ground sausage makes for a great flavor, but if you don’t eat pork you can also try ground beef or turkey.
- Cheese – I combined full fat cream cheese with shredded cheddar. You could also use 4 oz of velveeta in place of the cheddar.
- Milk – Whole milk is perfect here, but you may also use half and half for a richer taste. And if all you have on hand is 2% then there’s no need to buy something special!
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*
How to Make Rotel Pasta
I love to make easy pasta dishes like this where you simply cook the parts and combine to serve!
STEP 1. Cook sausage. Cook the sausage in a skillet until completely cooked through.
STEP 2. Cook pasta. Follow the box directions to cook the pasta.
Tip: Start with softened cream cheese so it combines better. Especially if using full-fat it will melt down into a nice and creamy mixture.
STEP 3. Make sauce. In your sausage skillet, combine the sauce ingredients until smooth.
STEP 4. Combine. Add the sausage and pasta to the sauce and stir to combine, then serve!
Recipe Pro Tips
- Don’t overcook. Make sure your pasta isn’t over cooked so it doesn’t turn to mush. Especially if trying the oven or crockpot mentioned below, you may even want to cut a minute off the pasta cooking time.
- Full fat. I always recommend full fat cream cheese and whole milk. This ensures your sauce has a smooth, creamy texture. You can reduce the fat if you’d like, but keep in mind it may change the texture.
Recipe FAQs
Feel free to mix canned diced tomatoes with diced green chiles. You can mix one can of each and then use half in this recipe and freeze the other half for another time!
This recipe is really versatile. After browning the sausage, stir it with the sauce and cooked pasta and bake in a dish at 350°F for about 20 minutes. You can also cook this mixture in a crockpot for 2 hours on low.
What to Serve with Rotel Pasta
I love a crisp green salad with a rich pasta dish to balance out the meal.
Storage
- To store. Once it’s cooled to room temperature, seal the saucy pasta in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To reheat. Allow the pasta to thaw in the fridge (if applicable) before adding it to a saucepan along with a little broth or milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring consistently, until heated through. You could also reheat this pasta in a baking dish, covered, in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until heated through.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
Did you make this? I’d be so grateful if you left a “star” rating below to let me know what you thought! Then, the next time you need a quick and easy recipe, come back to Fantabulosity to browse all of my easy recipes!
Recipe
Rotel Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups penne pasta
- 1 pound ground sausage
- ½ tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup whole milk
- 10 oz Rotel drained
- 6 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a skillet. Add the sausage and saute until nice and brown and cooked through, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as you go. Drain the grease from the meat, remove it from the skillet, and set aside.
- Cook the pasta following the package instructions, and then set aside.
- In the same skillet you made the sausage in, whisk together the garlic, onion powder, Italian seasoning, milk, Rotel, cream cheese, cheddar, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the cheese has melted. Some cheese brands are harder to melt, so if the sauce is too thick and the cheese becomes stringy, you can add a couple more tablespoons of milk help break it up and thin it out.
- Stir the cooked pasta and cooked sausage into the sauce until everything is well incorporated.
- Serve garnished with fresh parsley if desired.
Notes
- I recommend full fat cream cheese for the best texture.
- Substitute any short cut pasta.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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