I’ll let you in on a secret: this Sausage and Pepper Pasta tastes like it’s been simmering all day but takes only 30 minutes, start to finish!
This recipe is a riff on the ‘Rigatoni Con Salsiccia’ at our favorite local Italian Restaurant, Bella Siena. Made with flavorful Italian pork sausage, sweet bell peppers, red onion, simmered together in a marinara-cream sauce. Chef’s kiss! This Sausage and Pepper Pasta is equally perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or a special date night at home.
What you’ll need to make this Sausage and Pepper Pasta:
- short pasta like rigatoni, penne, farfalle
- extra-virgin olive oil
- Italian sausage
- red onion
- garlic cloves
- bell peppers
- dried oregano
- tomato paste
- marinara sauce
- heavy cream
- fresh basil
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- kosher salt
- freshly ground pepper
What kind of sausage should I use for Sausage and Pepper Pasta?
For this recipe I strongly recommend going for a full-fat pork sausage, as its natural richness helps create an especially flavorful sauce in a relatively short amount of time. I tend to use a sweet or mild sausage for this recipe but a spicy sausage will work nicely too if you love some heat. If you prefer to use a leaner ground chicken or turkey sausage, plan to use an extra couple tablespoons of olive oil to help compensate for the richness of pork sausage.
Time saving tip:
Although this recipe takes only 30 minutes start to finish, the 10 minutes of active prep can be done a couple of days ahead of time. Basically all of the prep work is chopping the onion + bell peppers, and slicing the garlic. Store prepped veggies in a container in the fridge and you can have a weeknight meal on the table in just 20 minutes. Winner winner, make this Sausage and Pepper Pasta for dinner!
Pasta cravings? Have a look at some of the recipes below:
- Smoked Mussel Spaghetti
- Boursin Pasta with Spinach
- Orecchiette with Turkey, Capers, and White Wine
- Blue Cheese and Hazelnut Rigatoni
- Pizza Gnocchi
- Simple Anchovy and Caper Spaghetti
Sausage and Pepper Pasta
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
- 1 large pot
- 1 chefs knife
- 1 cutting board
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 box grater
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 12 oz short pasta like rigatoni, penne, farfalle
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾ lb Italian sausage sweet, mild, or hot; casings removed
- 1 red onion small-medium sized; chopped
- 6 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 bell peppers I reach for green and red; chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1½ cup marinara sauce I used Rao's; about ½ jar
- ⅔ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup fresh basil small leave left whole, large leaves roughly chopped; may sub. 1 tsp of dried basil
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano divided
- kosher salt for pasta water and seasoning
- freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Brown sausage & soften aromatics: Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sausage, bell peppers, and onion. Use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces as it renders (not too small). Cook until the sausage is nicely browned & the veggies are softened, about 5-7 minutes. Halfway through this step add: sliced garlic, oregano, basil (if using dried), about 1 tsp kosher salt, and ½ tsp black pepper; stir until combined and garlic is aromatic, about 30 seconds-1 minute. If anything starts to brown too quickly, reduce heat as needed.
- Boil pasta while the sausage and veggies are cooking: Bring a large pot of water to a roaring boil. Add a generous heaping 2 tbsp of salt to the pot and stir so the salt doesn't sink to the bottom. Add the pasta, cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is 2 minutes under al dente (al dente" cook times should be listed on the package). Reserve ½ cup starchy pasta water, drain the pasta but do not rinse! Set aside if needed.
- Build the sauce: Turn the heat down to medium. Add the tomato paste to the pan, stirring to coat the sausage & veggies; cook for about 2 minutes, until deeply red. Add the marinara sauce, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Add the heavy cream; stir until incorporated. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thicken a bit and build flavor. Taste & adjust seasoning as desired.
- Finish the pasta by cooking in the sauce: Transfer the cooked pasta, half the Parmigiano Reggiano, and fresh basil (if using) to the skillet; stir until noodles are well-coated in the sauce. If the mixture is too thick, toss in a little reserved pasta water; if the mixture is too loose, turn up the heat or toss in an extra handful of Parmigiano Reggiano. Cook over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, allowing the pasta to finish cooking and absorb some of the tomato-cream sauce. Remove from the heat.
- Serve: topped with additional Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil (if using). Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
