30-minute Italian sausage and peppers pasta loaded with fresh bell peppers, onion, and savory sausage. This is a quick and easy dinner idea inspired by traditional sausage and peppers recipes and is full of fresh flavor.
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My introduction to Italian sausage and peppers was in 2011 when my friend, Toni, shared her family’s favorite slow cooker sausage and peppers that simmer for hours in the slow cooker. And by ‘share’ I mean that I saw the finished dish and got a brief overview of the recipe, but at the time, I didn’t write anything down and now have only the memory of that aromatic meal.
True to her Italian roots, Toni’s sausage and peppers recipe is simple, yet the final result was full of flavor. And, years later, I’ve adapted what I remember about that dish and turned it into sausage and peppers pasta. It’s not authentic, but it has the spirit of the original, and I can’t help but think of Toni every time I make it.
Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Traditional sausage and peppers are just that – whole sausage links and peppers cooked in a pan with olive oil and garlic. Lydia Bastianich, the maven of Italian cooking, has a wonderful recipe that you might find at an Italian street fair or on an Italian family table.
My version, with a few more ingredients, doesn’t stray far flavor-wise but, admittedly, is more “American” than it is Italian with the addition of simple ingredients to make a sauce as well as pasta. It’s a quick-cooking dinner full of fresh flavor from the peppers with a lot of savoriness from the sausage.
Some Ingredients You’ll Need
- Italian sausage links with the casings removed. To make it easier to eat, I like to break down the sausages, instead of serving them whole as you might get with a more traditional dish. You can use mild Italian sausage like I do or use spicy if you want some heat.
- Bell Peppers: I like the combination of green bell peppers with sweeter red and yellow ones, but you can use any combination of colors you like.
- Onion: For this recipe, I used a yellow onion, but I have made this with red onion, too and both are delicious.
- I used some red wine to deglaze the pan after the sausage and vegetables have cooked.
- Crushed tomatoes, garlic, and spices like red pepper flakes and dried oregano, combine to make a simple sauce.
- I used ziti for the pasta, but any short pasta shape will work well.
How to Make It
Get a pot of water boiling and then cook the pasta following the package instructions. Once cooked, drain it and set it aside.
In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Break the sausage up as it cooks until it’s browned. Add the garlic, peppers, and onion. Stir and cook the veggies with the sausage until the start to soften, about five minutes.
Add the red wine to the pan and, as it simmers, scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and salt. Stir and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook the sausage and peppers in the sauce for about five minutes, or so. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir to coat it in the sauce.
Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve!
This a quick recipe perfect for weeknights – the combo of flavors with the sausage and peppers is so good! Pair it with a simple salad, some crusty bread, and glasses of red wine for a delicious dinner.
Happy Cooking,
More Pasta Recipes
PrintItalian Sausage and Peppers Pasta
This is my take on traditional sausage and peppers that includes pasta and a few simple ingredients to make a sauce. It’s a 30-minute dinner full of fresh flavors.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Saute
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Ingredients
- 8 ounces ziti pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- 4 large cloves of garlic, chopped
- 3 medium-sized bell peppers (any color), sliced into 2-inch long pieces
- 1/2 of a medium-sized yellow onion, sliced 1/4″ thick
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 18 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Boil the pasta according to package directions.
- In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Break the sausage up as it cooks until it’s browned. Add the garlic, peppers, and onion. Stir and cook the veggies with the sausage until the start to soften, about five minutes.
- Add the red wine to the pan and, as it simmers, scrape up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and salt. Stir and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook the sausage and peppers in the sauce for about five minutes, or so. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir to coat it in the sauce. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe
- Calories: 499
- Sugar: 9.1g
- Sodium: 1168.4mg
- Fat: 20.8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12.3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 54.8g
- Fiber: 6.6g
- Protein: 22.4g
- Cholesterol: 62.1mg
Keywords: italian sausage pasta recipe, sausage and peppers recipe
Post, photos, and recipe updated from the archives. First published in April 2016.
Jack says
Easy to make and delicious! Adding this to my list of favorites. Every recipe I’ve tried of yours is top-shelf. Keep them coming and thank you!
★★★★★
April Anderson says
So glad you liked it!
Barbara says
Flavorful and easy!!!
★★★★★
Peg says
This recipe ROCKS!!! My husband and I love it – I probably make this once a month – so easy and uses mostly ingredients you already have in your pantry/freezer. I do use a pasts I get at WalMart “Sam’s Choice” called Trompetti (kind of trombone-shaped) and holds the ingredients beautifully – HIGHLY recommend !!!
★★★★★
April Anderson says
Oh, so happy you love it! I’ll have to look for that pasta shape, too!
LINDA MICHELLE LACEK says
I don’t know when I’ve been so happy with a recipe I’ve found online. This was quick, easy and delicious!
★★★★★
April says
Oh, that’s so nice! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Joe @ Joe's Healthy Meals says
Great recipe April…full of flavor and so easy. I like that the peppers aren’t cooked to death but still have some texture when you eat it. Wonderful.
★★★★★
April says
Thanks, Joe – I like the peppers that way, too. Tastes a whole lot fresher that way 🙂
Codrut Turcanu says
I love pasta in all forms and aspects… particularly if it has something green all over it… thanks for this recipe!
Alice maud stewart says
Looks lovely
alison says
For sauce fanatics would it throw off the taste to double the amount of liquid to 2 cans of tomato sauce and 1/2 C of white wine?
April says
If you want it extra saucy you could double the tomato sauce, but I don’t think you need to double the wine since you boil most of it off anyway (doubling it would just take longer). I would also double the amount of Italian seasoning and add extra salt and pepper to taste. I haven’t tried it this way, so these are just my guesses 🙂
Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen.com says
You can never have too much pasta in my opinion, and this sounds and looks delicious. Glad you are enjoying the warmer weather, nothing better than being outside and enjoying it all.
April says
There’s never too much pasta 🙂
MJ|Cupcakes and Hammers says
This is my favorite kind of food – simple, flavor-packed and beautiful. I feel like I could pick up the fork and knife and eat it right off of my lap top. Your photos are gorgeous!
April says
Thanks so much!
Vivian | stayaliveandcooking says
You can wake me up in the middle of the night for a pasta dish and I wouldn’t even be mad, and this sounds delicious! Smart move to add the wine, need to remember that for the next time I prepare pasta.
April says
This one’s a perfect excuse to open a bottle of wine mid-week (if you even need an excuse!)… a little for the sauce and a glass with dinner 🙂