Cajun Sausage and Pepper Pasta
A smoky, spicy pasta skillet loaded with sausage, peppers, and a creamy tomato swirl.
Prep: 10 · Cook: 20 · Total: 30 · Serves: 4 · Difficulty: Easy · Rating: 4.7/5 (389 reviews)
INSPIRED BY
This one is inspired by those pepper-and-sausage plates you find at loud diners, turned into a fast pasta night.
Story
There is a kind of diner that always smells like grilled onions and hot sauce, and I mean that as a compliment. This pasta chases that feeling, smoky sausage, sweet peppers, and a sauce that clings to every bite. Make it once and you will start keeping andouille in the freezer for emergencies. If you have a cold beer, you are basically parked at the counter.
By Theo
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne (or rigatoni)
- 12 oz andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 green bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- 3/4 cup pasta cooking water
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Boil pasta in salted water until just al dente, reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high, add oil, then brown sausage slices until deeply golden.
- Add peppers and onion, cook until softened and starting to char at the edges, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, Cajun seasoning, and paprika, cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add crushed tomatoes and 3/4 cup pasta water, simmer 2 minutes, then stir in cream.
- Toss in pasta and Parmesan, add a splash more pasta water if needed, serve hot.
Chef Tips
- Want it hotter, add a pinch of cayenne when the spices go in.
- If the sauce tightens up, loosen with reserved pasta water, it is the secret.
- Use chicken sausage if you prefer, the method stays the same.
- Leftovers reheat best with a tablespoon of water stirred in.
Cook's Notes
- Brown the sausage until the edges get dark, that is where the flavor lives.
- Cajun seasoning blends vary, start with 2 teaspoons if yours is very salty.
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you need, it fixes almost everything.