This pasta with sausage and peppers makes an easy weeknight dish. It comes together in no time (30 minutes!) and it’s so good. Crispy browned sausage, lots of vegetables, and cheesy tomato sauce. It’s really good and reheats well!
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this delicious pasta dish:
- sausage – you can use mild/hot Italian sausage or Polish sausage (pictured)
- bell peppers – preferably colorful
- pasta – any kind, best would be penne or spirals (fusilli)
- crushed tomatoes – diced tomatoes would also work but crushed tomatoes are better because they will disintegrate into sauce more quickly
- chicken broth
- parmesan cheese – grate the cheese yourself for a better flavor
- seasonings: fresh garlic, red pepper flakes for some heat, onion, lemon juice to brighten up the sauce (alternative: a splash of dry white wine), and basil (I used dried but fresh would also be great)
- to make a creamy pasta you could add a splash of cream to the sauce
How to make it step by step
STEP 1: Cook the pasta (12oz/340g) al dente according to the package instructions (it should have a bite to it). Cook the pasta in a large pot – it will be easier later to combine all the ingredients for this dish. Drain the pasta and leave it in the pot.
Prepare all the ingredients: cut the sausage (1lb/450g) into thin slices, dice the onion (1 large), cut the bell peppers (3) into strips, finely chop 6 cloves of garlic (using a knife, do not use a garlic press or the garlic flavor may be too harsh), grate the Parmesan (1 cup/90g) on the small holes of a box grater.
STEP 2: Heat the oil (2 Tbsp) in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until browned and crispy on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
STEP 3: Add the bell peppers, cook them over high heat until softened but still crunchy and a little bit browned. Transfer to a plate (don’t cook the peppers in the sauce so that they stay crunchy).
STEP 4: Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until softened. Add garlic, 1 ts basil, and 1/4 teaspoon (or to taste) red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds.
STEP 5: Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes and 1 cup of chicken broth. Cook the sauce for about 15 minutes and season with salt and pepper to taste.
STEP 6: Add the sauce to the pot with pasta along with cooked peppers, grated Parmesan, and cooked sausage. Stir everything together. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary, and lemon juice (2 ts).
If you’d like to retain the crispiness of the sausage, you can just top your pasta with it instead of tossing it with the other ingredients (it will soften a bit when combined with the sauce).
Enjoy!
Storage
I made a big batch of this pasta because it reheats really well. Store it in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
I haven’t tried freezing it but I bet it would also freeze beautifully.
More quick pasta recipes you may like
- Jerk Chicken Pasta
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Lemon Broccoli Pasta
- Chicken Fajita Pasta
- Gorgonzola spinach pasta with halibut
- Caprese pasta – tomato, mozzarella, and basil pasta
Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!
Pasta with Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340g) penne pasta
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 lb (450g) sausage, Italian or Polish sausage
- 3 bell peppers preferably colorful
- 1 large onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- 1 can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 90g
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions (it should have a bite to it). Cook the pasta in a large pot – it will be easier later to combine all the ingredients for this dish. Drain the pasta and leave it in the pot.
- Prepare all the ingredients: cut the sausage into thin slices, dice the onion, cut the bell peppers into strips, finely chop garlic (using a knife, do not use a garlic press or the garlic flavor may be too harsh), grate the Parmesan on the small holes of a box grater.
- Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until browned and crispy on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the bell peppers, cook them over high heat until softened but still crunchy and a little bit browned. Transfer to a plate (don’t cook the peppers in the sauce so that they stay crunchy).
- Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until softened. Add garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds.
- Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Cook the sauce for about 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the sauce to the pot with pasta along with cooked peppers, grated Parmesan, and cooked sausage. Stir everything together. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary, and lemon juice.
- If you’d like to retain the crispiness of the sausage, you can just top your pasta with it instead of tossing it with the other ingredients. If you’d like to retain the crispiness of the sausage, you can just top your pasta with it instead of tossing it with the other ingredients (it will soften a bit when combined with the sauce).
- Enjoy!
4 Comments
Marie
4 March 2023 at 19:37I also found this by googling a recipe for what I had on hand. This was amazing and we will be putting it in our normal rotation!
Aleksandra
4 March 2023 at 19:44Thank you for letting me know, Marie. I´m glad you enjoyed this!
Annette
12 October 2022 at 00:19Your pasta recipe was delicious, hubby agreed & said it was worthy of opening a bottle of wine. Now that’s a complement! I found your recipe after googling ingredients I had on hand. I added mushrooms I wanted to use up, deglazed pan w/white wine vinegar & used my garden tomatoes. Your photo caught my eye and it was simple recipe to follow & adjust. Thankyou! Yummy!
Aleksandra
12 October 2022 at 13:33I’m so glad you liked it, thank you for leaving the comment and photo!