Pasta with Sausage and Peppers

This pasta with sausage and peppers makes an easy weeknight dish. It comes together in no time (30 minutes!) and it's so good. Crispy browned sausage, lots of vegetables, and cheesy tomato sauce. It's really good and reheats well!

📝 Ingredients

• 12 ounces (340g) penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 lb (450g) sausage, Italian or Polish sausage
• 3 bell peppers (preferably colorful)
• 1 large onion
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (90g)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• salt and pepper (to taste)

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Cook the pasta al dente according to the package instructions (it should have a bite to it). Cook the pasta in a large pot - it will be easier later to combine all the ingredients for this dish. Drain the pasta and leave it in the pot.
2. 2Prepare all the ingredients: cut the sausage into thin slices, dice the onion, cut the bell peppers into strips, finely chop garlic (using a knife, do not use a garlic press or the garlic flavor may be too harsh), grate the Parmesan on the small holes of a box grater.
3. 3Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until browned and crispy on both sides. Transfer to a plate.
4. 4Add the bell peppers, cook them over high heat until softened but still crunchy and a little bit browned. Transfer to a plate (don't cook the peppers in the sauce so that they stay crunchy).
5. 5Add the onion and cook for a couple of minutes until softened. Add garlic, basil, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds.
6. 6Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Cook the sauce for about 15 minutes, season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. 7Add the sauce to the pot with pasta along with cooked peppers, grated Parmesan, and cooked sausage. Stir everything together. Season with more salt and pepper if necessary, and lemon juice.
8. 8If you'd like to retain the crispiness of the sausage, you can just top your pasta with it instead of tossing it with the other ingredients. If you'd like to retain the crispiness of the sausage, you can just top your pasta with it instead of tossing it with the other ingredients (it will soften a bit when combined with the sauce).
9. 9Enjoy!