This One Pot Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta is an easy weeknight dinner you can make in just 30 minutes. Even the pasta cooks right in the creamy sauce – and you’ll only have one pot to wash!
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Just one dish to wash: The pasta cooks right in the sauce in this recipe, so you’ll only have one pot to wash!
- Low prep: There’s only a few ingredients and no measuring of individual spices; plus any chopping required is kept to a minimum. This is what makes this recipe so weeknight friendly!
- Great for leftovers: Leftovers can easily be turned into a pasta bake the next day – cook once, eat twice!
The older my kids get, the busier I seem to be, and the easier my dinners need to be. Elaborate recipes are just not something I can fit into my weeknights anymore, so I’m all about low prep meals that still taste delicious.
This here is a simple one pot pasta that truly packs in the flavor without having to make a fuss. Thanks to using tomato basil sauce, seasoned ground sausage and roasted red peppers, you don’t even need to measure out any spices – a real weeknight win!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Pasta: I prefer using penne in this recipe, but most short pasta shapes work. Please note that the cooking time and chicken broth required is influenced by the pasta type you use – more expensive pasta brands often require more liquid because they tend to be thicker.
- Half and half: Feel free to use fat free half and half for a lighter dish, or heavy cream for a richer dish. I mostly use half and half because it’s rich enough for us and way more budget-friendly compared to cream. Evaporated milk works in a pinch. Regular milk may split because of the tomato sauce used in the recipe.
- Italian sausage: Use mild or hot, whatever you like best! You can also use Italian seasoned ground turkey for a leaner dish, if you’d like.
- Tomato basil sauce: This is what I like best in this recipe. If you only have unseasoned tomato sauce on hand, add some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to the sausage as it’s browning.
How to make sausage and peppers pasta
1. Brown meat:
Start by browning the sausage with the onion and garlic in a large, deep skillet or in a wide pot over medium-high heat (you do really want a large pot here, or you’ll run out of space – my go-to one pot pasta skillet holds 3.5 quart and it’s just big enough for this recipe).
2. Add liquids and pasta:
One the sausage is cooked and crumbled, stir in the broth, tomato sauce and half-and-half. Bring this to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer over medium heat. Stir through the uncooked pasta and the roasted red peppers.
3. Cook:
Simmer the pasta for 5 minutes, stirring a few times to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Then reduce the heat to just below medium, cover with a lid, and continue simmering until the pasta is done (it will take about 3-5 minutes longer than the package indicates, check every couple of minutes and give it a quick stir to prevent any burning).
4. Finish and serve:
Once the pasta is done to your liking, take the pot off the heat and add the cream cheese and grated parmesan. Stir well and allow the cheeses to melt for 1-2 minutes before serving.
Top tips
- Do not pre-cook the pasta! It really does go in uncooked, and cooks right in the sauce.
- Trust the process. If you’ve never made one pot pasta before, you may think it’s not going to work – but it does! You can see what the dish looks like with the uncooked pasta, and then once the pasta is cooked in the step by step photos above.
- Stir frequently: You’ll want to stir this dish once every 3-4 minutes, releasing any pasta stuck on the bottom to keep it from sticking and burning. This happens a lot less with nonstick pans, but I don’t own any the right size and shape so I keep up with the stirring.
- Add more liquid if needed: If you notice your pasta getting too dry (this depends a lot on your exact type of pasta used), add a little more broth or half-and-half.
- Serve immediately: The pasta continues soaking up the sauce as it sits, so for best results serve this dish immediately!
Helpful hints
Recipe variations
- Use a different meat: Ground turkey or lean ground beef are also great in this recipe, if that’s what you have on hand.
- Switch up the flavor: Use sun-dried tomatoes in place of the red peppers, or try a different flavor of tomato sauce.
- Make it lean: Use fat free half-and-half, a lean meat, low fat cream cheese and half the amount of parmesan cheese for a lighter dish.
- Add vegetables: If you want to add more veggies, try stirring some baby spinach or baby kale through the cooked pasta.
Leftovers
Leftovers reheat really well as a pasta bake. Spread leftovers in a casserole dish, cover well and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To reheat, stir through a little extra broth and/or half-and-half to make it creamy again. Top with some shredded mozzarella if you like, and reheat in the oven at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.
Freezer instructions
You can freeze this dish and reheat it in the oven. Place it in a freezer friendly casserole dish, wrap well with plastic wrap and then aluminium foil. Label with the name and use-by date, then freeze for up to 3 months.
Defrost in the fridge overnight, then leave it out on the counter for 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F. Top with shredded mozzarella if you like, then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through and bubbly.
Serving ideas
This is quite a rich pasta dish, so I like to pair it with a zesty salad. If you do want to add a little something extra, garlic bread is quite nice!
Here are my favorite salads and dressings to go with sausage and peppers pasta:
- Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Homemade Italian Salad Dressing
- Homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Homemade White Balsamic Vinaigrette
More easy one pot pasta recipes
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
One Pot Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 cup chopped onion about 1 medium
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups chicken broth or more as needed
- 12 oz tomato basil pasta sauce (half of a 24-oz jar)
- 1 cup half-and-half fat free if desired; OR heavy cream; OR evaporated milk
- 12 oz penne pasta uncooked!
- 1 (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers drained and diced
- 2 oz cream cheese (¼ of a Philly brick)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Brown meat: Add 1 pound ground Italian sausage, 1 cup chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic (minced) to large, deep skillet or wide pot (at least 3.5 quarts in size). Brown and crumble over medium-high heat.
- Add liquids and pasta: Once meat is browned, stir in 3 cups chicken broth, 12 oz tomato basil pasta sauce and 1 cup half-and-half. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer and stir through 12 oz penne pasta (uncooked!) and 1 (12-oz) jar roasted red peppers (drained and diced).
- Cook: Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring a few times to keep pasta from sticking to bottom of pan. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to medium-low and finish cooking, checking and stirring every few minutes, until pasta is done (about 3-5 minutes longer than package indicates).
- Finish and serve: Take pan off the heat. Stir through 2 oz cream cheese and ½ cup grated parmesan cheese. Allow cheeses to melt for 1-2 minutes, then serve immediately.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Pasta: Most short pasta shapes work. Please note that the cooking time and chicken broth required is influenced by the pasta type you use – more expensive pasta brands often require more liquid because they tend to be thicker.
- Italian sausage: Use mild or hot, whatever you like best! You can also use Italian seasoned ground turkey for a leaner dish, if you’d like.
- Tomato basil sauce: This is what I like best in this recipe. If you only have unseasoned tomato sauce on hand, add some Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper to the sausage as it’s browning.
Recipe tips
- Do not pre-cook the pasta! It goes in uncooked!
- Stir frequently: You’ll want to stir this dish once every 3-4 minutes, releasing any pasta stuck on the bottom to keep it from sticking and burning.
- Add more liquid if needed: If you notice your pasta getting too dry (this depends a lot on your exact type of pasta used), add a little more broth or half-and-half.
- Serve immediately: The pasta continues soaking up the sauce as it sits, so for best results serve this dish immediately!
Nutrition
More recipe information
Recipe first published on 09/07/2017. Updated with changed and improved recipe, new photos and new text on 06/27/2024.
R. Sonner says
Excellent meal. It was very easy to prepare. We added a few sundried tomatoes and spinach. It’s definitely a keeper.
Kristin Leonard says
This pasta dish was amazing! It was quick, easy, and tasted like something I wouldn’t be capable of making. I did not have a jar of peppers, so I cut up a small red sweet pepper instead. Evaporated milk was what I used for the cream and elbow pasta.
Nora says
I’m so glad, Kristin!
Daniel says
No mozzarella in the house so I subbed what I had, a slice of havarti and 3 slices of smoked provolone. It was absolutely delicious!
Nora says
That sounds very delicious with the smoked provolone, Daniel. I’ll have to try it sometime!
keith VANDERVELDE says
Big hit with the whole family, will definitely make it again, thanks for the recipe.
Suzanne Moore says
This is truly amazing . No photo as it was all eaten before I managed to get camera out . Made tomatoe pasta sauce as we have a bit of a glut . If you haven’t tried it you really must !
Nora says
So glad to read this, Suzanne! I’m very happy the pasta turned out so well for you. Thank you for coming back to leave a review – I appreciate it.
Stacey @ Bake.Eat.Repeat. says
One pot pastas are the best – and I love Italian sausage in pasta so this looks fantastic!
Christina says
Gah, you got me drooling over here! Italian sausage is so freaking good. I love sausage pasta dishes so I KNOW I’ll love your recipe! Man, I just want to dive into that pot. Great job 🙂
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice says
One pot meals are the best! Looks delicious!
Nora says
Thanks, Gayle!
Liz @ Floating Kitchen says
This looks so cozy and heart, Nora! And can you believe, I’ve still never made a one-pot pasta. I know, I know. I feel like I’m totally missing out. Lol. Putting this on the to-make list!
Nora says
I live for one pot pasta. Lol. Definitely try it, so easy and so good!!