My Pasta With Sausage Peppers And Onions is a delicious, quick, and easy weeknight dinner for families and a great date night meal for couples! A twist on a classic combination, pasta with sausage and peppers is full of tasty, savory flavor.
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Why You'll Love Sausage Pepper And Onion Pasta
This recipe, you guys. I've been dreaming of it. I'm not even exaggerating. For months now, I've had this sausage and peppers pasta idea kicking around in my head.
After I made my Stuffed Peppers Rice Skillet, I had some leftover Italian sausage in my fridge and pasta hanging out in my pantry. I knew I had to (finally!) make this sausage and pepper pasta. My only regret is that I waited so long to get my act together and make it!
I did the first test run on a busy weeknight for my family. And while it needed a couple of tweaks, for the most part, it was pretty fantastic right out the gate. Once I implemented the tweaks, there was no stopping this pasta with peppers recipe. It seriously makes the perfect weeknight meal because it:
- Comes together so quickly and easily
- Has minimal prep, plus quick cook time
- Is full of bangin' flavor!
- Family-friendly and kid-approved
- (Almost) one-pot recipe means easy cleanup
Ingredients Information and Substitutions
- Onion & Garlic - The ultimate flavor starters for anything savory! Not to mention both smell absolutely delicious as they cook.
- Bell Peppers - I like green bell peppers for this! They add a pop of color, and the flavor is slightly less sweet than red. You can use whichever kind you prefer.
- Mushrooms - Onion, peppers, and mushrooms work so well together that I had to add some mushrooms to this dish.
- Italian Sausage - I like Italian varieties best for sausage and peppers pasta — seasoned with herbs and spices, you can go with a spicy variety if that's you're preference, or sweet if you're serving kids. I often use poultry Italian sausage to lighter it up a bit.
- Diced Tomatoes - To add a pop of color and flavor to the dish, I add a can of diced tomatoes. If you like your pasta to be super saucy, you may consider adding an extra 8 ounce can of tomato sauce.
- White Wine - Another thing I love about this recipe is the flavor the wine adds in combination with the other ingredients! That being said, I know using wine is not for everyone. So if cooking with booze isn't your style, I'm sure this will still be tasty if you substitute chicken broth instead.
- Olive Oil - Olive oil has great flavor, a high smoke point, and is super wholesome when compared to other varieties.
- Fettuccine Pasta - Fettuccine is my go-to, but spaghetti, linguine, or tagliatelle would work as well.
- Seasonings - I'm using salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes for pasta with peppers. You don't need to add many herbs and spices thanks to all of the flavor in the Italian sausage!
- Romano Cheese - For serving and garnish.
How to Make Veggie Sausage Pasta
Step 1: Add the olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat over medium-high. On a separate burner, heat a large pot of water for the pasta.
Once the oil is hot, add the peppers, onions, mushrooms, and garlic with a bit of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 7 minutes, being sure to stir frequently.
Step 2: Remove the cooked veggies in a bowl and set aside. Add the sausage to the same pan and brown for 3-5 minutes, turning until they're golden brown. Add the white wine and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon to deglaze.
Step 3: Add the tomatoes, sautéed vegetables, salt, and pepper to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Cook the pasta to al dente if you haven't already.
Step 5: Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss to combine. Sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and Romano cheese, serve, and enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can put raw sausage in sauce, but you'll want to simmer it longer to make sure it's cooked through.. However, I like to brown mine first for pasta with peppers — it brings out the flavor and provides a nice texture.
Classic Italian sausage and peppers (which is of course the inspiration for this sausage and pepper pasta dish) originated in southern Italy. It's typically served over pasta or polenta, or in a sandwich.
Italian sausage spaghetti is typically made with almost the same exact ingredients as my sausage and peppers pasta. I like to add some extras — like mushrooms and bell peppers — otherwise, it's a simple combination of Italian sausage, tomatoes, white wine, seasonings, and pasta.
Tips for making pasta with bell peppers
- I used sweet Italian sausage, but if you prefer spicy flavors, feel free to use spicy Italian sausage.
- A good hack to make this healthier is to use turkey or chicken sausage instead of pork sausage. You can take it a step further but subbing in zoodles. If you go the zoodles route, just make sure you add them in for the last couple minutes of cooking — you don't want them to go too long because they'll get soggy. Another balanced option is protein pasta (I like Barilla's variety of protein pasta).
- If possible, use fresh pasta. It's SO much better!
- If you happen to have leftovers, this reheats really well and makes a pretty tasty lunch! I shared it with one of my friends at work. She started off by saying she wasn't hungry and ended up devouring the whole plate once she got a taste.
- Finish it off with a sprinkle of Romano cheese, crushed red pepper (if you're feeling spicy), and a hunk of crusty bread and you've got yourself a killer little meal!
- Ingredients to prep ahead: Slice peppers, slice onions, slice mushrooms, peel garlic, cut sausage.
- Storage and Leftovers- This will last for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
What To Serve With Sausage Pepper Onion Pasta
Round out your dinner with these tasty recipes:
Other Pasta Dishes to Try...
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Pasta With Sausage Peppers And Onions
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 medium bell pepper, sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 pound Italian sausage links, sliced (you can also remove the casings and crumble the sausage as you brown it)
- ½ cup white wine (you can substitute chicken broth if you don't cook with alcohol)
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes (if you prefer a ton of extra sauce, you can also add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce)
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt + a little extra to taste to season your vegetables at the beginning and to salt the pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper + a little extra to taste to season your vegetables at the beginning
- 9 ounces fresh Fettuccine pasta
- Romano cheese for sprinkling
- Crushed red pepper for sprinkling
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large sauté pan and bring pot of water to a boil on a another burner for the pasta.
- Once the oil is hot add the peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic and sprinkle a little salt and pepper on them to taste. Sauté for around 7 minutes, stirring frequently to soften.
- Remove the veggies to a side bowl and add the sausage to the pan. Stir frequently, turning until browned, about 3-5 minutes.
- When the sausage is browned on the outside, add the white wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze for a minute or two (make sure you're using a wooden or plastic spoon so you don't destroy your pan in the process!)
- Add the diced tomatoes, salt and pepper and the veggies back into the pan.
- Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium/medium low and let it simmer for around 15-20 minutes, stirring periodically (during this time you'll also cook your pasta to al dente as per the package directions and drain it when it's done).
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to combine.
- Sprinkle on some Romano cheese and crushed red pepper and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- I used sweet Italian sausage, but if you prefer spicy flavors, feel free to use spicy Italian sausage.
- A good hack to make this healthier is to use turkey or chicken sausage instead of pork sausage. You can take it a step further but subbing in zoodles. If you go the zoodles route, just make sure you add them in for the last couple minutes of cooking — you don't want them to go too long because they'll get soggy. Another balanced option is protein pasta (I like Barilla's variety of protein pasta).
- If possible, use fresh pasta. It's SO much better!
- If you happen to have leftovers, this reheats really well and makes a pretty tasty lunch! I shared it with one of my friends at work. She started off by saying she wasn't hungry and ended up devouring the whole plate once she got a taste.
- Finish it off with a sprinkle of Romano cheese, crushed red pepper (if you're feeling spicy), and a hunk of crusty bread and you've got yourself a killer little meal!
- Ingredients to prep ahead: Slice peppers, slice onions, slice mushrooms, peel garlic, cut sausage.
- Storage and Leftovers- This will last for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
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