Pasta with Sausage & Peppers combines sausage, bell peppers, onions, and crushed tomatoes with pasta and seasonings to make a flavorful, quick dish.
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This is definitely one of our go-to dishes for an easy dinner. I almost always have these ingredients on hand so when we’re trying to figure out what to have for dinner, this dish quickly comes to mind.
Adding sausage and peppers to this tomato-based pasta dish is a great way to spice it up a little. I love spaghetti and meat sauce, but there’s always room for a change once in awhile.
Ingredients In This Dish
I love making this pasta dish because it has mostly ingredients that I already have in the pantry so I don’t have to put too much thought into it. It’s a quick and easy dish to put together.
- Pasta – I used Farfalle pasta (bowties) in this dish, but you can use any pasta you like. Penne, Ziti, Fusilli, and Rigatoni work really well.
- Sausage – I used Vienna sausage in this dish, but the sausage is really your choice. Italian, Polish, German, Vienna, even brats work well in this dish. If you like crumbled sausage, you can even use ground sausage meat instead.
- Peppers – Red or yellow bell peppers are a great choice for this dish because they are a little bit sweet. You can use green peppers, but it will have a stronger, less sweet profile.
- Onion – The onions are optional, but I think they add a great depth of flavor. I just use a typical yellow onion. Sweet onions would be a great choice too.
- Crushed tomato – You’ll need one can of crushed tomatoes for the sauce. I almost always use crushed, but I’ve used chopped or diced tomatoes too and they’re just as good. If you like Italian flavors, you could also use Italian-seasoned canned tomatoes.
- Spices: Paprika, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper – These seasonings add a lot of great flavor to the dish without overpowering with one specific taste.
- Garlic – If you want to add garlic to the dish, the amount is entirely up to you. I rarely add more than a clove, but some people really love their garlic.
What Type of Sausages to Use
This is the big question with this recipe. What sausages to use. You can really use just about any sausage that you like. If you have one you really like, definitely use it in this recipe.
I use Vienna sausages because it’s what I can easily get where I live. Italian sausage is great because it has additional flavor. You can also use something like Jimmy Dean spicy ground sausage. Really anything goes.
The only thing to be aware of is the size of the sausages. The Vienna sausage I use is rather long, at least 10″, so I use 2 sausages for 4 servings. You might need to use 3 sausages for 4 servings if your sausages are smaller.
What Type of Pasta to Use
I think farfalle is the perfect pasta to use in this dish because it’s about the same size as the other elements and can be eaten easily, but it’s definitely not the only type of pasta that works. You can use penne, ziti, fusilli, or even spaghetti. Whatever pasta you have on hand is the best to use.
How Can I Spice This Up?
If you like some extra heat, there are a few ways you can spice up this Pasta with Sausage and Peppers. The easiest way is to use spicy sausage. That will give a great kick to the spiciness of the dish. You can also add spicy red peppers, in addition to the bell peppers. Or add some red pepper flakes to the final dish.
Alternatives & Variations
There are many ways you can change up this recipe to make it suit what you like. Here are a few ideas:
- Make it spicy. Swap out the sausage with a spicy Italian sausage & add red chili flakes.
- Make it creamy: Pour some heavy cream into the tomato sauce as it simmers to give it a slight creaminess.
- Using chicken or turkey sausage: If you don’t want to use pork sausage, there are many other options, like chicken or turkey – even some flavored chicken sausages. Or you can use a plant based alternative.
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Pasta with Sausage and Peppers
Ingredients
- 5 ounces (141.75 g) dried farfalle pasta or penne
- 1/2 tablespoon (7 g) olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1-2 sausages thick sliced (Italian, Polish, Vienna)
- 14.5 ounce (411.07 g) can chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 g) paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon (0.5 g) onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, then drain and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat. When hot, put the bell peppers, onions, and sausage into the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until peppers start to soften.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle on the seasonings and add the garlic. Stir to coat.
- Add the farfalle to the pan, stir and cook on medium heat for another 3-5 minutes.
Nutrition
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Laura is a home cook, with 25 years experience behind the stove, who spends an extraordinary amount of time in the kitchen cooking. She loves making new recipes and finding wonderful new things to eat, both at home or abroad. She spends a lot of time researching, crafting, and perfecting her recipes.