Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta

Italian sausage and peppers pasta is loaded with flavourful Italian sausage and peppers in a rich tomato-based sauce. It’s a quick and easy weeknight dinner that tastes just like something you’d have in an Italian restaurant!

This Italian sausage and peppers pasta is a recipe that will quickly become a family favourite.

Chunky bits of flavourful Italian sausage mix with sliced bell peppers and a rich tomato-based sauce to create the perfect pasta sauce for a busy weeknight.

Besides being quick and satisfying, this peppers and sausage pasta is so delicious it also qualifies as the perfect recipe for date night.

Why you’ll love this sausage and peppers pasta

• It tastes like something you’d have in a restaurant. The flavours of this Italian sausage and peppers pasta are truly amazing. This dish tastes just like something from your favourite Italian restaurant.
• It’s easy to make. You don’t need to cook the sausage separately — the sauce is all done in one pot.
• It’s easy to customise. You can easily ad other veggies such as mushrooms or zucchini to this sausage and peppers sauce. It’s truly easy to make it your own!

What goes into this pasta with sausage and peppers?

Pasta — The pasta you see in the pictures is called mezzi rigatoni. It’s basically rigatoni cut in half, hence the name. Its tubular shape is just perfect for this type of chunky sauce, but you can use any other type of short pasta you have on hand.

Olive oil — You only need a splash of olive oil to cook the Italian sausage in. The sausage will release extra fat, which should be enough to cook the veggies in.

Italian sausage — Use your favourite type of Italian sausage to make this pasta. I’m in the UK and quality Italian sausage is not very easy to find. The Italian-style sausages from M&S are my favourite and that’s what I used here.

Onion — You can use regular onion, shallot or red onion for this sausage peppers pasta.

Bell peppers — I used a mix of red and green peppers in this recipe, but any colour combination would do. Feel free to use more than two peppers.

Garlic and red chilli flakes — Fresh garlic is always the best choice in this type of sauce. Only add red chilli flakes if you’d like your pasta to have a bit of a kick.

Italian seasoning — Use a mix of dried oregano and dried basil if you don’t have an Italian seasoning mix on hand.

Tomato paste and crushed tomatoes — This is the perfect combination for a tomato-based sauce that’s bursting with flavour.

Grated Parmesan — I keep a block of Parmesan in the fridge and grate it on the spot. Alternatively, you can use ready-grated Parmesan.

How to make peppers and sausage pasta

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it generously and cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the package. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large, deep pan or a Dutch oven and fry the sausage for 4-5 minutes over medium heat until browned, crumbling it with your spoon as it cooks.

Add the onion and sliced bell peppers and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies soften.

Stir in the garlic, red chilli flakes and Italian seasoning and continue to cook for another minute.

Next, add the tomato paste, chicken stock and crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine, then simmer on low-medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss well. Stir in the grated Parmesan, season to taste and serve immediately, sprinkled with some extra grated Parmesan if you like.

Leftovers and storage

• These rigatoni with sausage and peppers taste best when served immediately. However, leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• It’s best to reheat the pasta in the microwave. If you decide to reheat it on the stovetop, you may need to add a splash of water or stock because the pasta will continue to absorb the liquid as it sits.
• I don’t recommend freezing this sausage peppers pasta.

Recipe notes and tips

• You can use white wine instead of chicken stock to deglaze the pot. This will infuse the pasta sauce with extra flavour — just perfect for date night!
• Make this recipe vegetarian by using a veggie sausage or swapping the sausage with chopped mushrooms.
• If you want to make this sausage pasta creamy, add some double cream (heavy cream) before adding the pasta to the pan for a gorgeously rich, velvety sauce.

If you liked this Italian sausage and peppers pasta, you might also like some of my other easy pasta recipes:

• Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
• Sundried Tomatoes Chicken Pasta
• Pink Sauce Pasta
• Penne alla Vodka with Sausage
• Rigatoni Fiorentina (Creamy Chicken Florentine Pasta)

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