Looking for a balanced meal that is ready in under 30 minutes? Say hello to this Sausage Pepper Pasta recipe! Full of cozy pasta, savory sausage, and sweet bell peppers this is a meal that the whole family will enjoy!
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Penne Pasta with Sausage and Peppers
As a recipe developer some of my favorite recipes come from laziness or necessity.
For example, this recipe same from laziness. I had a bunch of extra bell peppers in the fridge and I did not want to go to the store. So I raided my freezer and pantry giving birth to this recipe!
Super easy and yet delicious.
While the water boils and the pasta cooks you will cook the sausage along with the onions, tomatoes, and peppers in a skillet. Everything will be combined at the end. And then of course a generous amount of parmesan on top really finishes the dish!
This meal with cozy pasta, savory Italian sausage, and bursts of fresh peppers will become a new staple in the dinner routine I think!
Easily paired with a salad and you have dinner perfection! If you love easy pasta meals like this be sure to check out these recipes for Chicken Sausage Tortellini Soup or Smoked Sausage Pasta.

Ingredients
- Penne Pasta – Penne pasta stood up will the the peppers in this dish, since they tend to be able to hold up due to their shape. You can sub out a different pasta if needed, a rotini or bow tie pasta would work here well too.
- Salt – For the pasta water, adding the salt to the pasta water ensures that the pasta will be seasoned as it cooks, giving you a tastier dish!
- Ground Italian Sausage – I used pork sausage but feel free to use other sausage like chicken sausage if you prefer it. In a pinch too I have used plain sausage and it worked, although the Italian Sausage was much tastier!
- Red & Yellow Bell Peppers – I went with the yellow and red opposed to green because I liked the sweetness they added to the dish. You can switch out the colors of the bell peppers if you wish. Feel free to use two reds or even throw in a green bell pepper instead.
- Onion – A yellow or white onion works in this recipe.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes – I used two 15-ounce cans, you could as easily grab a 28-ounce can instead if you have it.
- Italian Seasoning – I have an easy and handy Italian Seasoning Recipe HERE. Go ahead and make some or use any that you already have!
- Parmesan Cheese – I prefer the fresh stuff but really any parmesan cheese on top of this is going to taste fabulous.
For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Instructions
Bring large pot with water to a boil over high heat.
While water is coming to a boil. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Cook and crumble until most of the pink is gone about 6 minutes. Drain any extra fat.
Add the diced onions to the skillet with the sausage and cook 2-3 minutes until slightly tender.

Add pasta and a large pinch of salt to the water. Cook to package instructions. Before draining pasta reserve 1 cup of the water.
NOTE: Timing wise I recommend adding the pasta to the water at the same time you add the peppers and tomatoes to the skillet, this should get them close to being done at the same time!
Add the peppers, diced tomatoes, and Italian seasoning to the skillet with the sausage. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until the peppers have softened.

Once the pasta has been drained add it back to the large pot. Transfer the sausage and pepper mixture from the skillet to the pot over the pasta. Mix together with the pasta to combine.
If the pasta seems like it isn’t saucy or doesn’t have enough liquid add in about 1/4 cup pasta water at a time until it is to a consistency you like. Serve immediately topped with a generous amount of parmesan cheese.

tips, tricks and questions
Most Italian seasonings are comprised of dried basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, and salt. So if you have all of those great, if not add what you have into the dish to taste.
For the Sausage feel free to use the flavor the speaks to you, I like to use Sweet Italian Sausage for my family. A Spicy Italian Sausage would be really good in this meal as well!

If you like this Sausage & Pepper Pasta Recipe you might also like:
Sausage Pepper Pasta

Looking for a balanced meal that is ready in under 30 minutes? Say hello to this Sausage Pepper Pasta recipe! Full of cozy pasta, savory sausage, and sweet bell peppers this is a meal that the whole family will enjoy!
Ingredients
- 16 ounce penne pasta
- Salt for water
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 red bell peppers, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Bring large pot with water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and a large pinch of salt to the water. Cook to package instructions. Before draining pasta reserve 1 cup of the water.
- While water is coming to a boil. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the sausage. Cook until most of the pink is gone about 6 minutes. Drain any extra fat.
- Add the diced onions to the skillet and cook 2-3 minutes until slightly tender.
- Add the peppers, diced tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Cook 8 to 10 minutes until the peppers have softened.
- Once the pasta has been drained add it back to the large pot. Transfer the sausage and pepper mixture from the skillet to the pot. Mix together with the pasta to combine. If the pasta seems like it isn't saucy or doesn't have enough liquid add in about 1/4 cup pasta water at a time until it is to a consistency you like. Serve immediately topped with a generous amount of parmesan cheese.
Notes
Timing wise I recommend adding the pasta to the water at the same time you add the peppers and tomatoes to the skillet, this should get them close to being done at the same time!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
about 2 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 428Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 841mgCarbohydrates: 37gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 21g
Nutritional data is automated, final nutritional information will depend on ingredients used and any changes made.
I made this last night, delicious…. Even my picky daughters enjoyed it…..
This makes me so happy to hear! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
Made this tonight and we all loved it! Even my 18mo daughter loved it! Definitely will be a regular in our house.
This was delicious. I used a little less pasta, just a preference for me, but it was so simple to make and I will definitely make it again. Might even try shrimp instead of Italian sausage. Thanks for sharing this recipe!!!
I made this dish but used a jar of tomato basil sauce and it turned out great! Quick and easy diner and very tasty.
I bet it was delicious with that sauce, so happy you enjoyed it!
Made this for lunch today. I used a little less pasta, added onion powder, cayenne, pepper and used a can of diced tomatoes that had green chilies in it along with another can of regular petite diced tomatoes.Super yummy. This recipe will become part of our rotation!
Sounds like some amazing add-ins! So happy you enjoyed it!