Sausage and Pepper Pasta
This quick sausage and pepper pasta has just a few simple ingredients and comes together in less than 30 minutes. Perfect for a busy weeknight!
I love a good sausage and pepper pasta. It’s hearty, easy to make, and goes perfectly served with a side salad and garlic bread. This recipe has just a few ingredients and comes together pretty quickly.
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We like to use hot Italian sausage with our pasta because it adds a punch of flavor and heat to the dish that my family likes, but you can use sweet Italian or even breakfast sausage if that’s what you like. You can also serve this dish over regular pasta or pasta alternatives like zoodles or edamame noodles.
Did I forget to mention this is a budget-friendly meal? Where I live, this whole meal that feeds 4-6 costs $15! Affordable, quick, and yummy…that’s the makings of a perfect dinner!
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need
- Olive Oil
- Italian Sausage (or alternative)
- Bell Peppers
- Onion
- Garlic
- Marinara Sauce
- Pasta (or Alternative)
- Parmesan Cheese
Tools You’ll Need
How to Make Sausage and Pepper Pasta
- Start heating salted water in a large pot while you make the sauce.
- For the sauce, heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink and cooked through. You can either crumble and cook the sausage or cook it in slices. Once it’s done, remove it from the skillet and set aside.
- To the skillet, add the peppers and onion. Sauté 3-4 minutes, or until slightly tender and the onion is translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté an additional minute.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Allow the pan to cool down slightly so that the sauce doesn’t splatter. Pour in and stir the sauce. While the sauce simmers for 5-10 minutes, prepare your pasta of choice and drain.
- Plate the pasta and top with a generous ladle of sauce and parmesan cheese.
Tips and Substitutions
- What to serve with this delicious pasta:
- Loaded Restaurant Salad or Side Salad
- Crispy Green Beans
- Garlic Broccoli and Mushrooms
- Garlic Bread
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will last 4-5 days.
- You can freeze the sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
You can easily swap out the Italian sausage for turkey Italian sausage, ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, plant-based sausage, or a different variety of sausage.
Marinara comes in many flavor variations. You can use homemade if you’d like or you can jazz up a store-bought version. Yummy additions could be (but are not limited to) Italian Seasoning, white wine, sliced sun-dried tomatoes, canned crushed or diced tomatoes, crushed red pepper flakes, or cajun seasoning. Try adding tomato paste for extra richness. Mushrooms add an umami kick.
Try adding a pinch of baking soda to raise the ph level. You can also add a pinch of sugar to sweeten the flavor, although sugar will not actually reduce the acidity level.
More Recipes Like This
- Parmesan Garlic Noodles
- Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup
- One Pot Italian Sausage Pasta
- Saucy Pasta Bake
Sausage and Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage, regular or spicy cut in 2-inch slices
- 2 bell peppers Red/Green, sliced
- 1 small onion sliced
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 24 oz marinara sauce
- 16 oz pasta or pasta alternative
- Parmesan Cheese garnish
Instructions
- Bring a pot of boiling salted water to a boil.
- To a large skillet on medium high, add oil. Add Italian sausage and cook until no longer pink and cooked through. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- To the skillet, add peppers and onion. Sauté 3-4 minutes, or until slightly tender. Add garlic and sauté an additional minute.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Once the pan cools slightly, pour in and stir the marinara sauce. While the sauce simmers, cook pasta per package directions and drain.
- Plate the pasta and top with a generous ladle of sauce and parmesan cheese.
Video
Nutrition
About Laura
Taught by some of the best, cooking and entertaining has always been my favorite hobby. Food is my love language! The conception of Dinner in 321 came from my family talks that sharing our dinners would help others learn new skills, tasty recipes, and make cooking fun! Read more…
