Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Savory sausage, sweet peppers, and a silky tomato sauce, this 30-minute sausage and peppers pasta is the ultimate weeknight Italian dinner. Simple ingredients, bold flavor.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb rigatoni or short pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage mild, spicy, or hot. Or, my homemade Italian sausage recipe.
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup baby spinach
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 2 cups reserved pasta water
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of pasta water before draining. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce.
- Brown sausage in olive oil over medium heat, 6–8 minutes.
- Add onion and peppers. Cook 6–8 minutes until soft and lightly caramelized. This adds lots of flavor!
- Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook 30 seconds.
- Add tomato paste; cook 1-2 minutes until deep red.
- Add 1 ½ cups pasta water to loosen. Simmer briefly for 5 minutes.
- Toss in pasta, spinach, cheese, and basil. Keep tossing until all ingredients are combined. Add more pasta water as needed until glossy. Adjust seasoning and serve. Add a sprinkle of parmigiano after plating.
Notes
- Salt your pasta water like the sea or the whole dish falls flat.
- Let the tomato paste darken slightly before adding liquid.
- Add cheese off the heat to prevent clumping.
- Always finish pasta in the pan, never mix separately.
Nutrition
Serving: 9g | Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 63mg | Sodium: 793mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1513IU | Vitamin C: 69mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 3mg
