SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS PASTA | 30-minute dinner with restaurant-worthy flavor!

spicy italian sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: pork sausage

Chicken sausage is lower in fat and calories.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast adds a cheesy flavor with fewer calories.

Chop bell pepper and onion into uniform pieces to ensure even cooking.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Add rigatoni to the boiling water once it's back to a boil.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

Add chopped onion and bell pepper to the skillet and let them soften for a minute or two, seasoning with salt.

Add spicy italian sausage to the skillet, crumbling it into bite-sized pieces as it cooks.

Grate garlic using a microplane and add it to the skillet.

Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the skillet.

Add a generous amount of tomato paste to the skillet and stir to coat.

Deglaze the skillet with half a cup of wine, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add about 14 ounces of crushed tomatoes to the skillet and stir.

Add grated parmesan cheese or pecorino Romano cheese to the sauce and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

Reserve some starchy pasta water before draining the rigatoni.

Add the drained rigatoni to the skillet with the sauce and toss to combine, letting it simmer together for a couple of minutes.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens