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    Home » All Recipes » Pasta » Sausage and Peppers Rigatoni

    Sausage and Peppers Rigatoni

    Published on Jan 25, 2022 by Jim · Updated on Jul 8, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 17 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Sweet bell peppers, fragrant fennel sausage, onions, Sicilian oregano, and olive oil.  A winning combination at any time.  But throw in some tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, fresh basil, and toss it all together with pasta and you've got a crazy good super easy meal that pleases even the pickiest eaters.  Sausage and peppers rigatoni is where it's at!

    Wooden spoon holding rigatoni and sausage over pan.

    The sausage and peppers combo is one of the most iconic Italian-American pairings.

     

    Widely known and loved as a favorite festival or street fair food, the combo is usually served on a hero without sauce.

    And we love it so much we decided to toss it together with rigatoni and tomato sauce to create sausage and peppers PASTA.

    Ingredients shown: rigatoni, can tomatoes, basil, garlic, Pecorino, onion, sausage, and bell peppers.

    How to make rigatoni with sausage and peppers in red sauce

    Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

    1. Preheat oven to 450f and arrange sausage in a baking sheet or roasting pan.  Roast the sausage for approximately 25 minutes or until cooked through.  Flip the sausage at the halfway point to achieve even browning on both sides.
    2. Slice 4 bell peppers, 1 large onion, and 6 cloves of garlic.  Note: Use any color peppers you like.  Red and yellow are sweeter than green, but a variety of colors looks great.

    Sausage and peppers rigatoni recipe process shot collage group number one.

    1. Heat your largest pan (I love this 14" pan) to medium-low and add ⅜ cups of olive oil and the garlic.
    2. Once the garlic turns golden (about 2-3 minutes) add the peppers and onions.  Mix well to coat with the olive oil and garlic.  
    3. Pour ¾ cups of water into the pan and cover tightly.  Turn heat to medium and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the peppers turn very soft.  At this time bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon) to boil.  Note: If your lid isn't the tightest you might have to add a bit more water so keep an eye on it.  The goal is to soften the peppers and onions with steaming action.  If the water evaporates burning can ensue.
    4. After the sausage is cooked through, slice on a bias to about ½-inch thick pieces.  Place those pieces back in the roasting pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

    Recipe process shot collage group number two.

    1. Once the peppers and onions are soft remove the lid and continue cooking to evaporate any remaining water.
    2. After the water evaporates, add 3 ounces of tomato paste to the pan and cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently to distribute.
    3. After 5 minutes add one 28-ounce can of plum tomatoes (hand crushed or blender pulsed) and the sausage and bring to a simmer.  Season the sauce with 2 teaspoons of Sicilian oregano (or Italian oregano).  At this point boil the rigatoni to 1 minute less than al dente.  Note: Save 1 cup of pasta water - you will most likely not need any of it, but it's good insurance if the pasta drys out.
    4. Add the rigatoni to the sauce.  Cook until the pasta is just al dente then turn off the heat. Taste test the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and more oregano to taste,  if desired.

    Recipe process shot collage group number three.

    1. Add the Pecorino and stir to incorporate.
    2. Finish with a ¼ cup of hand-torn basil leaves and serve immediately.  If the pasta is at all dry add a couple of ounces of reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Enjoy!

    Black bowl with sausage and peppers rigatoni.

    Top tips

    • The sausage.  We used Italian pork sausage with fennel for our sausage and peppers pasta.  If you don't enjoy the taste of fennel, opt for no fennel sausage.  You can also use hot (spicy) sausage if you enjoy a bit of extra heat.  We prefer to start out with a more mild sausage for this dish and allow those who prefer heat to add it themselves - see "the peppers" below for more on that.
    • The peppers.  We used a combo of green, orange, and red bell peppers for our rigatoni with sausage and peppers, but feel free to experiment here.  If you like additional heat, you can use cubanelles or Italian long hot peppers like we did in our spicy pepper bucatini.  If we're serving a crowd, we'll serve a plate of cherry peppers, and Calabrian chili paste to allow guests to customize their heat level. 
    • The oregano.  The flavor of Sicilian oregano is key here, as it is in many other Italian-American dishes.  It's what makes a NY pizza taste like a NY pizza (in addition to a few other things).   If you don't have Sicilian oregano on hand you can use regular dried oregano.  
    • Party time. Any time we've made sausage and peppers rigatoni for a gathering, it's been a huge hit!  It's picky-eater approved, and host approved.  We'll make this ahead of time in a tray and place it on a Sterno rack when ready to serve.  Easy!
    • Variations.  Feel free to use ziti, penne, or mezzi rigatoni here.  Any of those would be great.  We also love tossing in cubed mozzarella to extend the dish even further!

    Overhead shot of large pan with sausage and peppers pasta.

    More great sausage recipes

    Sausage is a favorite ingredient in Italian-American cuisine, and for good reason.  It's tasty, reasonably priced and so versatile - it's even good by itself on the grill. 

    In addition to this sausage and peppers pasta recipe, here are a few favorites from our family to yours!

    • Classic sausage and peppers - Olive oil, sausage, peppers, and oregano - this is the authentic NY classic that can be served by itself or on a hero. 
    • Italian sausage and potatoes - This sheet pan dinner combines crispy potatoes, sausage, sliced onion, and olive oil.
    • Chicken scarpariello - Sausage, chicken, potatoes, and peppers in a tangy vinegar sauce.
    • Beans and greens sausage pasta - Escarole, baby spinach, cannellini beans, fennel sausage, and rigatoni.
    • Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe - Sweet fennel sausage, garlicky broccoli rabe, and spicy cherry peppers tossed with pasta.
    • Creamy Italian sausage pasta - Pappardelle with sweet fennel sausage in a tomato cream sauce.
    • Pasta alla Norcina - Pork sausage tossed with pasta in a creamy white wine sauce with a hint of nutmeg.

    If you’ve enjoyed this sausage and peppers rigatoni recipe or any recipe on this site, give it a 5-star rating and leave a review.

    Some people learn by watching.  If you're that type of person, you can find most of our recipes on YouTube and our Facebook Page.

    Sausage and peppers rigatoni featured image.

    Sausage and Peppers Rigatoni

    5 from 9 votes
    Prep Time: 10 mins
    Cook Time: 40 mins
    Total Time: 50 mins
    Servings: 6
    Print Pin Rate
    Author: James

    Ingredients

    • 1 pound rigatoni or penne, ziti, etc
    • 1 ½ pounds Italian sausage
    • ⅜ cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 6 cloves garlic sliced
    • 2 large red bell peppers or any color you like, sliced
    • 2 large green bell peppers or any color you like, sliced
    • 1 large onion sliced
    • ¾ cup water for steaming veggies
    • 3 ounces tomato paste
    • 1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
    • 2 teaspoons Sicilian oregano or Italian oregano
    • salt and pepper to taste
    • ¼ cup Pecorino Romano grated
    • ¼ cup basil leaves hand torn
    • 1 cup reserved pasta water will not need all of it

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 450f. Roast the sausage links for approximately 25 (flipping halfway through) minutes or until cooked through and browned. Slice the sausage on a bias into ½" thick pieces once cool enough to handle.
    • Meanwhile, heat a very large pan to medium-low and add the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic turns golden add the peppers and onions and mix to coat with the oil. Pour the water into the pan, cover, and cook over medium heat until soft.
    • At this time bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon) to boil.
    • After 15 minutes of cooking, remove the lid from the peppers and continue to cook over medium heat until most of the water evaporates and the peppers are very soft.
    • Once the water has mostly evaporated, add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Next, add the crushed plum tomatoes and bring the sauce to a simmer.
    • Add the sliced sausage links to the sauce and continue to simmer. Season the sauce with the oregano and begin to boil the pasta.
    • Cook the pasta to 1 minute less than al dente, drain and add to the sauce. Cook until the pasta is just al dente then turn off the heat. Taste test the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and more oregano if desired to taste. Add the Pecorino and stir to incorporate. Finish with hand-torn basil and serve immediately. If the pasta is at all dry add a couple of ounces of reserved pasta water to loosen it up. Enjoy!

    Notes

    • Makes 4 very large servings or 6 moderate sized ones.
    • If the pasta dries out at all just add a touch of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up and mix well before serving.
    • Serve with extra grated Pecorino Romano cheese.
    • Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and can be reheated on the stovetop or the microwave.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 834kcal | Carbohydrates: 67.9g | Protein: 35.6g | Fat: 47.9g | Saturated Fat: 13.1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 1043mg | Potassium: 638mg | Fiber: 4.9g | Sugar: 9.4g | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 5mg
    Did you make this recipe? Mention @sipandfeast or tag #sipandfeast
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. linda

      April 18, 2022 at 4:47 pm

      5 stars
      love it

      Reply
      • Jim

        April 18, 2022 at 5:48 pm

        Thank you, Linda!

        Reply
    2. linda

      April 18, 2022 at 4:48 pm

      5 stars
      wow weeeee just love this..so easy to make..ty

      Reply
    3. Danielle

      May 20, 2022 at 1:11 pm

      5 stars
      This was so so good and so easy. I did replace half of the streaming water with Marsala, turned out pretty darn good. Definitely making this again and again. Thanks for the recipe and the video. Love your YouTube channel.

      Reply
      • Jim

        May 22, 2022 at 9:07 am

        Hi Danielle, thank you and so happy you enjoyed the recipe and the channel!

        Reply
    4. Gail

      June 16, 2022 at 10:17 pm

      5 stars
      So easy and delicious!

      Reply
      • Jim

        June 17, 2022 at 10:24 am

        Thank you, Gail! So happy you liked this recipe!

        Reply
    5. Christine

      July 18, 2022 at 7:12 pm

      5 stars
      This was a super tasty dinner! I halved the recipe and it was still yummy. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jim

        July 18, 2022 at 7:34 pm

        Hi Christine, we are so happy you enjoyed this recipe, and thanks for letting us know!

        Reply
    6. Brian Anderson

      August 01, 2022 at 12:48 am

      5 stars
      I made this with ground hot Italian sausage and links and prefer ground sausage. I have always preferred that to links. This recipe is definitely a keeper in the rotation. Thank you for your youtube channel and your webpage. I have made several of your recipes and now use your page as a go to for Italian ideas.

      Reply
      • Jim

        August 01, 2022 at 9:12 am

        Hi Brian, thanks for the comment and so happy you're enjoying the recipes!

        Reply
    7. Martin

      August 04, 2022 at 9:19 am

      5 stars
      Thank you making my evening this was a hit in the household last night .
      Simple and delicious.
      Keep up the good works

      Reply
      • Jim

        August 04, 2022 at 7:53 pm

        Thank you, Martin! I'm happy you enjoyed!

        Reply
    8. William

      August 10, 2022 at 7:51 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! Love this dish!!!

      Reply
      • Jim

        August 11, 2022 at 7:54 am

        Thank you, William!

        Reply
    9. Nancy

      August 13, 2022 at 7:38 pm

      5 stars
      Wonderful! It's like the Festa di San Gennaro on a plate.
      I cooked off the sausage in my braiser pan before making the sauce so I would have the sausage fat and fond to flavor the dish.
      Found you on the YouTubes and I'll be checking in often. Molte grazie!

      Reply
      • Jim

        August 15, 2022 at 9:23 am

        Hi Nancy. Glad you enjoyed it and I'm happy that you found us on YouTube!

        Reply

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    About Jim

    Welcome! I'm Jim and I'm here to help you make awesome Italian food that you would normally enjoy at some of your favorite New York style Italian restaurants. While my recipes are typically Italian, you'll find some other great ones as well. Take a look around, and get cooking!

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