One-Pan Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta is a 30 minute gluten-free recipe with all the flavors of slow-cooked sausage and peppers.
I’ve officially crossed over to the dark side — I’ve been cooking with bell peppers!
I will tolerate an occasional bell pepper under two conditions:
- When they’re charred nearly beyond recognition via the flames of a grill on a shish kabob.
- When they’re simmered to melty perfection in my Aunt Mary’s homemade marinara sauce with tender Italian sausages.
No Aunt Mary? No problem — One-Pan Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta mimics the flavor in a fraction of the time!
My Aunt Mary had her legendary Italian Sausage and Peppers simmering in homemade gravy ready for us anytime we visited her home in Ohio growing up.
My parents got the chance to visit her earlier this summer and she sent back a huge tupperware for my husband and me to enjoy — we were practically jumping up and down with excitement. That’s how good they are!
The sausage and peppers were gone in under 24 hours and we were still craving a taste, so I created the recipe for One-Pan Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta to keep the experience going.
Italian sausages are browned then simmered with pasta, spices, really good marinara sauce, and chicken broth then topped with whisper-thin slices of provolone cheese that melts gorgeously on top.
Cooked in one pan and in under 30 minutes — like I said, this dish is a total winner!
Start by cutting raw Italian sausage links in half. Sweet (mild) or hot — it’s up to you!
Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat then brown the sausages on both sides. They don’t have to be cooked all the way through – just crisped to a nice golden brown color.
Remove the sausages to a plate then set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium then add sliced green or red bell pepper and chopped shallots (or onions), season with salt and pepper, and saute until the bell peppers are crisp tender. Next add minced garlic then saute for 30 more seconds.
To the pan add chicken broth and REALLY GOOD marinara sauce. This is no time for Ragu or Prego, people! We’re going for an authentic Italian sausage and peppers flavor so you’ve got to get the good stuff.
Next add Italian Seasoning and red chili pepper flakes. The chili pepper flakes are optional – don’t like spice? Leave it out!
Now add penne pasta (I like Barilla gluten-free penne which is a corn/rice blend pasta) then shake the pan to make sure all the pasta’s covered in liquid.
Nestle the sausage on top then place a lid on the pan and cook for 2 minutes less than the pasta package instructs for al dente pasta. It should definitely still have a bite.
Arrange 4 thin slices provolone cheese on top of the pasta and sausages then place the lid back on top until the cheese has melted.
Glorious, glorious melted cheese!
Take the pan off the heat then let it sit with the lid off to thicken slightly before scooping into plates and digging in.
The key to this dish is using good quality marinara sauce – spending a couple extra bucks really makes a difference.
The sauce lightly coats the pasta and those super soft peppers and shallots really drive the homemade flavor home. The sausage and cheese though? Absolutely the stars of the dish. Enjoy this easy, tasty recipe!
One-Pan Italian Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 Italian sausage links, sliced in half, mild or hot
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot or 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1-1/4 cups high-quality marinara sauce, Gino's or Rao's recommended
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes, optional
- 1/2 lb gluten free penne pasta
- 4 thin slices provolone cheese
Directions
- Heat oil in a large, nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add sausages then brown on both sides – they do not need to be cooked all the way through. Remove to a plate then set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium then add peppers and shallots to pan. Season with salt and pepper then saute for 5 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender. Add garlic then saute for 30 more seconds.
- Add chicken broth, marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, and red chili pepper flakes to pan then turn heat up to bring mixture to a boil. Add pasta then shake pan to cover all the pasta with liquid and then nestle sausages on top. Place a lid on top then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until pasta is just under al dente, shaking the pan every so often to make sure the pasta is cooking evenly. Don’t let the pasta reach al dente as it still has a few more minutes to cook.
- Arrange cheese slices on top of pasta and sausages then place lid back on top. Let cheese melt then remove pan from heat and let sit with the lid off to thicken slightly for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
- Thinly sliced or shredded mozzarella cheese is also fantastic on top instead of provolone.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I totally agree about the good marinara. I started buying Famiglia Del Grosso’s Sunday Marinara a few months ago, and it just makes every dish I use it in 10x better! It’s easy to fine and definitely worth the extra few bucks :)
Mmm this is one of my absolute favourite flavour combinations…only thing I’d change is swapping the green pepper for a red one!
I agree, i have had to eat green bell peppers all the time i was growing up. I don’t know what took me so long to find red ones. Anyway,i would use red in this also.
This recipe looks great and I love peppers, haha. I feel the same way about Dijon mustard in a recipe as you feel about peppers-takes over the whole flavour of the dish! I never add as much as the recipe calls for, yet always taste it!
I’m looking forward to trying this recipe.
OMG Lincoln is do adorable, love the cake pic. What a ham! Lol
yum, this is going to get us out of our dinner slump! i can’t wait! it’s been a slow month, and we’ve really been slacking in our cooking creativity.
my hated food growing up was peppers and onions…. peppers made its way into my life when i was about 22-23….onions are still unwelcome. but i definitely prefer red/orange/yellow over green. and i do adore the jalapenos, poblanos, etc!
We put bell peppers in everything! Can’t live without them!
how big is the pan you use for your one pan recipes? i’d love to make this but don’t think i have a pan large enough…?
Great question! This was a 3-quart, 10-1/2″ pan. That said, these recipes are easily halved so you can still make it if you have a smaller pan or are cooking for less people!
This looks so good! I agree that peppers can take over a dish but if you really cook them down into a sauce like this, they actually taste quite heavenly!
that cake smash picture is epic! What a great picture to brighten any day. Happy Birthday to Lincoln and to a great meal! thanks for posting.
Aww-happy birthday to Lincoln! You totally had me at “one pan.” My kinda dinner! And sorry, but I adore red peppers in all forms. ;)
I cannot believe you’re eating bell peppers! I love the looks of this pasta and I cannot wait for the update on the family channel.
I cannot even begin to tell you how much I love you for hating bell peppers. If you are sure even bell pepper haters can tolerate this dish I might give it a try, because it looks perfect! Love the cake smash pictures :-)