Chicken Sausage And Bell Pepper Pasta Recipe

You know those meals you get fixated on because they're easy to make, have all the food groups in one bowl, and really hits the spot? This chicken sausage pasta is that fixation meal. It can be customized to include anything in your fridge and pantry, so you never get too bored of the same thing. It's the ultimate throw-and-go meal — a dinner that comes together in one skillet, and in as little as 20 minutes. It's great for meal prepping, too, and makes for a delicious and filling midday lunch.

This recipe is in the weekly dinner rotation of developer Michelle McGlinn, and includes juicy sliced chicken sausage, fresh bell peppers, tender rotini, and a creamy Parmesan sauce. And if you haven't tried chicken sausage, now's the time. It's similar in texture to pork sausage, but tastes like chicken, and is often pre-spiced with peppers, onions, spinach, or cheese. The versatile sausage makes dinner easy to throw together — something we all need once in a while.

Sure enough, for this recipe, you'll need a package of chicken sausage and a couple of bell peppers. Of course, you can always swap for pork-based sausages like Italian sausage, andouille, or chorizo, but this recipe is designed for the mild, savory taste of chicken sausage. We used pepper-and-onion-flavored sausages, but you can use any sausage that catch your eye — we especially love Cajun-spiced chicken sausages.

Otherwise, you'll only need a few additional ingredients. Grab a small onion, a few cloves of garlic, rotini, and chicken broth or stock. You can use any short pasta here, like penne, cavatappi, rigatoni, or rotelle. If you don't have chicken stock on hand, just use water, or a combination of both. Then, to finish it off, you'll just need salt and pepper, olive oil, heavy whipping cream, and freshly-grated Parmesan. 

You can use any skillet deep or wide enough to hold the pasta, broth, and veggies — we love using a cast iron skillet here so that the sausage and peppers get a slight char and a deep, brown sear. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and cook the sliced sausages until browned on each side, then soften the peppers, cooking for about 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the chopped onions and minced garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Dump the pasta into the skillet, and cover with the stock. It helps to follow the recipe so you don't end up with too much liquid, but if you're eyeballing the measurements, make sure the rotini is just barely submerged. It may not look like enough pasta, but trust us, the skillet will be full once the pasta cooks until al dente, and all the liquid will be absorbed, about 10 minutes. 

If you'd prefer to keep the dish dairy-free, skip the cream and cheese. For a creamy pasta, pour in the heavy cream, stirring and  simmering to thicken. After a few minutes, add the Parmesan, adding more cheese to thicken if necessary. 

If you start making this dish on the regular, we recommend adding spinach, swapping the pasta for potatoes, or sprinkling in Cajun spices like paprika and cayenne. To reheat any leftovers, warm gently on the stove, adding extra heavy cream to revitalize the sauce. If you microwave the pasta, heat in increments, stirring in between each increment. Serve this with a crispy kale salad, and an easy cocktail for a delicious, weeknight dinner.