Sausage and pepper pasta in a light tomato sauce, an easy, homely and fairly quick mid-week meal that will please young and old alike!
You can use any sausage that you like in this recipe, Italian sausage, sweet or spicy, both work really well, and beef sausage adds a really great twist!
Orecchiette Sausage Pasta
Simple pasta dinners do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to mid-week dinners for many families, and our home is no different!
This sausage and pepper pasta recipe joins dishes like my tomato tuna pasta, a fun hot dog pasta and a simple bacon and mushroom pasta as dishes that define my mid-week dinner in a hurry rotation.
It uses ingredients that I usually have either in the cupboard, fridge or freezer.
It is delightfully simple and pretty quick, it cooks in around 30-35 minutes (including prep) and tastes divine!
Unlike my Italian sausage ragu and my pasta alla norcina recipe, this uses seared and sliced sausages as I do in my Polish Lazanki recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions.
What sort of sausages should I use?
You can use anything that you have lying around.
It is particularly good with my homemade Italian sausages, but it is great with boldly flavoured sausage like Cumberland Sausage too.
But you can really change things up by adding beef sausages or even hot dog sausages. It is a really versatile recipe!
What sort of pasta should I use?
I like to use orecchiette pasta to make this dish because the bolder texture works particularly well.
But it is just as good with farfalle or even conchiglie. You can even serve it with gnocchi, although more tomato is required for that.
Can this be made in advance?
Yes, it will store well in the fridge for 2-3 days.
It even works wonderfully as a lunchbox dish, although you will need to increase the amount of tomato used by around 50% if eating cold.
Serving Suggestions
This sausage and pepper pasta recipe is a simple dinner recipe that serves as a TV dinner in our house.
We'll curl up on the sofa and munch away with a glass of wine within reach.
But it is a dish that is particularly suited to some nice, cheesy garlic bread.
Spooning the pasta, sausages and peppers onto the bread and munching away is heavenly.
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/stovetop.
- 28cm or 11" frying pan.
- 20cm or 8" saucepan.
- Kitchen knife.
- chopping board.
- Sieve or colander.
- Stirring and serving spoons.
- A combination of weighing scales, a measuring jug, measuring cups and spoons.
Sausage and Pepper Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g Italian Sausage 7oz
- 1 Red Pepper
- 2 Garlic Cloves
- 1 tablespoon Oil
- 2 tablespoon Red Wine Vinegar
- 225 g Tin of Tomatoes 8oz
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- 200 g Dried Pasta 7oz (I use orecchiette)
- 20 g Fresh Parsley ½-⅔ Packed Cup
- ½ teaspoon salt plus extra for boiling the pasta
Instructions
- Remove the seeds and the stalk from the pepper and cut into a 1cm (½") dice.
- Peel the garlic and slice it as finely as you can.
- Heat a wide-based frying pan (28cm-11", not non-stick if possible) over a medium-high heat and add the oil. Add the sausages and sear so that they have an even colour on all sides. When the sausages are golden, remove them and set aside.
- Return the pan to the heat and add the peppers, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the red wine vinegar, stir and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the tinned tomatoes, sugar and salt, stir and reduce the heat to low.
- Slice the sausages into rounds 5-7mm (¼") thick at a 45° angle to the sausage and add it to the sauce, stir and simmer for as long as it takes to cook the pasta.
- Add the pasta to a 20cm or 8" saucepan of well salted water (1½ teaspoons in a pan this size) and cook for 30-60 seconds less than it says on the packet.
- Whilst the pasta is cooking, add the sausages along with any resting juices to the sauce and allow it to finish cooking.
- Chop the parsley as finely as you can.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving 75-100ml (⅓-½ Cup) of the cooking water.
- Add the pasta and most of the parsley (keeping a little aside to garnish) to the sauce and stir well.
- Finally, stir in the pasta water (as much as required) to form a sauce with a nice consistency.
Sara McCleary
Monday 17th of June 2019
I love easy, tasty and quick, especially during the week. Nice technique with the sausages, will be checking out the ragu recipe too.
Brian Jones
Tuesday 18th of June 2019
Thanks Sara, the ragu is superb too :)
Kate
Monday 17th of June 2019
This pasta looks divine! So easy and the flavours from the Italian sausage sound great with the peppers.
Brian Jones
Tuesday 18th of June 2019
Ta muchly
Amy
Monday 17th of June 2019
I love a simple pasta recipe like this and this one looks delicious!
Brian Jones
Tuesday 18th of June 2019
Thank you
Shashi at SavorySpin
Monday 17th of June 2019
This looks so delicious and flavor jammed - comfort food at its finest!
Brian Jones
Tuesday 18th of June 2019
Thanks Shashi
Milica Vladova
Monday 17th of June 2019
Mmmmm, what a delicious pasta recipe! I will be making this one over and over! <3