How to Make Sausage and Peppers Pasta Video
Step 1: Cook the pasta. Follow the instructions on the packaging and cook the pasta until al dente. Be sure to heavily salt the water after it starts to boil. Step 2: Brown the sausage. While the pasta cooks, brown the Italian sausage in a large pan over medium-high heat.
Step 3: Sauté the bell peppers and onion. Once the sausage is done, remove it from the skillet, then sauté the bell peppers and onions until the onions are mostly softened. Next, add the garlic and optional red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds.
Step 4: Make the sauce. Add the flour and cook it for about 1 minute to cook off the raw flour taste. Then, stir in the broth, half and half, diced tomatoes and herbs. Simmer until thickened.
Step 5: Stir in the cheese and pasta. Turn down the heat, then stir in the shredded cheeses one at a time until melted. Once your sauce is silky smooth, add the cooked and drained pasta to the pan and stir to evenly coat.
How to Thin the Sauce
The sauce can become too thick if it’s simmered at too high of heat or for too long. But don’t worry, it’s SO easy to fix! Simply stir in a little reserved pasta water or chicken broth after you combine the pasta with the sauce until it reaches desired consistency. For extra indulgence, you can even thin the sauce with additional half and half.
How to Thicken the Sauce
The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it’s not as thick as you would like, then simmer longer. Or you can thicken it with cornstarch: whisk ½ tablespoon cornstarch with 3 tablespoons chicken broth with a fork until smooth then whisk it back into the sauce. Simmer until thickened.
Use a different protein. I recommend hot Italian sausage because it is mega flavorful but you can certainly swap it out. For a lighter version, try using hot ground Italian turkey sausage. You can also use plain lean ground beef, ground chicken, ground turkey, sliced sausage etc. Just be aware that you will be losing some flavor if you omit the Italian sausage because it is seasoned with Italian seasonings. I recommend adding some Italian seasonings, ground fennel (about ¼ teaspoon) and a pinch of red pepper flakes if you use a different protein. Be ready to season to taste when the pasta is done. Add veggies. This fast-cooking Sausage Peppers Pasta is amendable to whatever vegetables you have on hand. In addition to the onions and bell peppers, you can add mushrooms, asparagus, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, etc. Make it spicy. The hot Italian sausage is flavorful but does not make this Italian Sausage Pasta overly spicy. If you really want to kick it up, then add red pepper flakes directly to the sauce or to individual servings. Swap cheese: Mix up the flavor profile by using a different melting cheese in place of the Gouda such as mozzarella, Monterrey, smoked cheddar, Muenster, Fontina or Colby Jack, Gruyere, etc. Be aware that the cheese you use will have a big impact on the flavor. Add sun-dried tomatoes: Instead of canned tomatoes or in addition to, add sun-dried tomatoes. Purchase the sun-dried tomatoes in a jar packed in oil, not water, located near the olives or pickles at your grocery store. Rinse about ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, pat dry, chop and sauté with the garlic. Make it gluten-free: Use gluten free flour in the sauce (this one is my fav, awesome for cakes too!) and serve this sausage pasta recipe over gluten-free pasta (Tinkyada is a great brand), sweet potato noodles, zoodles or spaghetti squash. Make it vegetarian: Omit the sausage and use a vegan sausage alternative or extra vegetables along with addition Italian seasonings and red pepper flakes. Swap the chicken broth for vegetable broth and omit the chicken bouillon and salt to taste.
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