Sausage Peppers Italian Pasta (Printable)

A hearty blend of sausage, sweet peppers, and pasta simmered in a flavorful tomato sauce.

# What You Need:

→ Meats

01 - 1 lb Italian sausage (mild or spicy), casings removed

→ Vegetables

02 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
03 - 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
04 - 1 green bell pepper, sliced
05 - 1 large onion, thinly sliced
06 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ Pasta

07 - 12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta

→ Sauce & Seasonings

08 - 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
09 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
10 - 1 tsp dried oregano
11 - 1/2 tsp dried basil
12 - 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
13 - Salt and black pepper, to taste

→ Others

14 - 2 tbsp olive oil
15 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
16 - Grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

# Directions:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook following package directions until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water, and set pasta aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking it apart with a spoon, and cook until browned and fully cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
03 - In the same skillet, add sliced bell peppers and onions. Sauté for 5 to 6 minutes until softened and lightly caramelized.
04 - Stir minced garlic into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
05 - Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Season with salt and black pepper. Simmer mixture for 5 minutes.
06 - Return cooked sausage to the skillet and mix thoroughly. Simmer all ingredients together for 3 to 4 minutes, adding reserved pasta water if the sauce appears too thick.
07 - Add drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat evenly in the sauce. Heat through for 1 to 2 minutes.
08 - Plate the pasta and garnish with chopped parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It comes together faster than you'd think, which means weeknight dinners stop feeling like a negotiation with your tired self.
  • The peppers get soft and almost sweet while the sausage browns, creating a sauce that tastes like it simmered for hours.
  • It's one of those dishes that tastes even better the next day, if you manage not to eat it all immediately.
02 -
  • Don't drown the sausage in grease—break it into small enough pieces that it browns instead of steaming, which usually means going smaller than you think is necessary.
  • Reserve that pasta water before you drain anything; I learned this the hard way by making a sauce that was impossible to coat the pasta in.
  • The sauce needs those five minutes of simmering to meld, not to cook down—rushing it tastes rushed.
03 -
  • Keep the heat at medium rather than cranking it high; everything cooks better and tastes less scorched when you give it time instead of force.
  • Taste as you go and adjust seasoning in small increments—it's harder to fix something oversalted than to realize you could use a tiny bit more.
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