Creamy Red Pepper Shells
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Crumbled Italian sausage, Parmesan, basil, and the most EPIC red pepper cream sauce! So creamy, so so good.
I’m currently taking a break from all the soups right now. At least for just a little bit.
But only because I have something else keeping me nice and cozy during this very cold winter.
That’s right. It’s this cream sauce here, but guys, this is not just any kind of cream sauce.
It’s a red pepper cream sauce! Loaded with crumbled Italian sausage (mild or spicy can be used here), plenty of freshly grated Parmesan and fresh basil leaves.
And you get to use jarred roasted red peppers, cutting the prep time in half, making this a quick 30-minute meal.
Although I should warn you – this may be requested every single night of the week! We’re already on day 4 here.
Creamy Red Pepper Shells
Ingredients
- 8 ounces medium pasta shells
- 1 (16-ounce) jar roasted red bell peppers, drained
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces mild Italian sausage, casing removed
- ½ medium sweet onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
- Combine red bell peppers and chicken stock in blender until smooth; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage and onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until sausage is browned, about 5-7 minutes, making sure to crumble the sausage as it cooks; drain excess fat.
- Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in red bell pepper mixture and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until reduced and slightly thickened, about 6-8 minutes.
- Stir in pasta and heavy cream until heated through, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Stir in Parmesan until melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in basil.
- Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe?
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A lot of good reviews…Do I have to make it right before dinner? What parts can I prepare ahead of time…so won’t be in time crunch when folks come over?
Delicious and mouth watering, perfect dish to make for lunches at school
Absolutely fabulous recipe!! This is definitely a keeper
A winner forsure!
Really great recipe! I didn’t follow it exactly. I used some of the water from the red pepper jar in the blender with the stock, and used more garlic and onion than the recipe called for. I also skipped the sausage and made breaded fried chicken in the air fryer to go with it. Delicious.
My husband just had a taste of the sauce of the spoon and loved it. I am just plating and I said he was going to love this… he said I already do! Thank you for another winner!
GWORL I made this with multicolor bell peppers I oven charred, tomato puree and plant heavy cream. We have an onion and garlic sensitivity in the home so I left them out and in the words of Lionel Richie this was OUTRAGEOUS.
I just made this today and it is fantastic! I subbed the heavy cream for full fat coconut milk but kept the parm since I am a confused woman who is lactose intolerant. Either way, it’s delicious!!!
So good and easy to make!
This is an amazing restaurant quality recipe! Very much one of our favourites. Just a quick question, though. Would it be possible to make ahead and freeze?
Hi. Wondering if you found out if this is freezable? I am planning to make it soon but on the off chance that some is leftover, just curious if I can freeze.
Holly
This recipe is so good! My two year old loves it too. My husband can’t have dairy so I leave some without cream and cheese and it’s still delicious.
This is so delicious! Our family favorite! The first time I accidentally didn’t drain the peppers (12 oz jar) and had so much more sauce than the noodles so that’s how I make it now. It didn’t dilute the flavor and the sauce goes a lot farther. We also make a vegan version by using meatless sausage, coconut milk and depending on our mood – nutritional yeast.
While I do change things in this recipe, this is the basis for my favorite pasta dish ever! It’s so easy and DELICIOUS!
I never seem to have enough sauce so I’ve started doubling the amounts of everything. I also use shallots instead of onion, sweet italian sausage instead of mild, no chicken stock (I forgot it once and didn’t notice a difference in taste, I just leave some of the oil from the peppers that I buy in a jar), and I add a little garlic and parmesan to the food processor when I puree the peppers. When the meat and onions are almost done cooking, I add in a tsp of red pepper flakes for my boyfriend who loves a little spice, but it doesn’t make it too spicy for me or my very sensitive mother. At the end, I eyeball the amount of cream, I don’t think I ever use the full amount called for, but I have added finely shredded mozzarella in with the parm and it was SO decadent. Can you believe there’s NO CALORIES in this meal?! 😉
Yummy!
Very tasty! Family really liked it!
Great recipe! I’ve made this many times now and it’s always a hit! I undercook the noodles a little and throw it all in foil pan for an easy meal for new parents, meal trains, etc.
Best pasta recipe EVER!!!!!
Very easy to make. My family raved about this for 2 days and my husband is extremely picky. I will definitely be making this again!
My husband and I loved this dish. While I was cooking it I thought it would be over spiced but, it was delicious. I liked how easy it was to make!
Whoa. Just made this and it blew our mind. Sooooo flavourful. And such a nice change from the flavours we are used to. I submitted the flour with GF flour and the milk with coconut milk. Wow wow wow!
Awesome idea!
One little question about the bells. Are they with vinegar? Because I ‘ve cooked both ways and I m not sure which is the right way.
Thanks in advance
I was on the hunt for a new pasta recipe and so glad I tried this! I used vegan sausage and it was, well, damn delicious. Easy, too! Going into the regular rotation for sure.
My fiance and I LOVED this!!! I did follow what another person posted, left out the chicken stock, added garlic and parmesan to the red pepper blend. I also didn’t have tomato sauce, so I blended a can of diced tomatoes. Eyeballed the cream (which I forgot until the end) – He said it was one of the best things I’ve ever made!!! Thank you SO MUCH for this recipe!!!!
Had just about everything in my kitchen already for this recipe except for the roasted red peppers – very tasty and easy. Recipe is a keeper!
Another winner! I loved this dish. I’m not even a huge red pepper and the sauce was divine. I didn’t have cream so I subbed whole milk and it still came out great. Thank you!
So yummy! Super creamy and delicious sauce. We appreciated how quick and easy the recipe is, too. Definitely recommend!
This was DELICIOUS! I followed the recipe except I added rotisserie chicken instead of sausage and added red pepper flakes to make it spicy. This is a keeper! Thanks for all your amazing recipes! If I craving something, I always check here first!
My SIL made this for me the day we came home from the hospital after having ym daughter and it was DELISH! I want to make this for dinner tomorrow, but make it tonight and reheat tomorrow. how would you suggest reheating? oven? stovetop? how long?
This was insane! So delicious!! I am vegan and gluten-free so I subbed the broth (vegetable), cream (oat milk), and sausage (beyond sausage), and the pasta (brown rice) and flour (arrowroot powder) and it was fantastic. I was planning to have leftovers but it was all gone… I’ll definitely be making this one of my go-to recipes. So flavorful and comforting.
Made this for meatless Monday without the sausage and it was delicious! Hubby had two helpings and told me to make sure I keep the recipe.
Super easy to make and tastes great!
This sounds great but I really wish you would make recipes with more servings. I never make less than 1 pound of pasta and it is hard to figure out how to double this one. I have to double every one of your recipes! Please make some for people with bigger families.
I said this exact same thing last night. It’s plenty as-is for my family but it’s a pain to have to break out the scale for every pasta recipe. All pasta comes in one-pound boxes. It would be so much easier if recipes were based on that amount. Even the sausage for this I had to figure out because meat is sold by the pound as well. Plus, these recipes are so freaking delicious that it would be nice to have leftovers!! This one was amazing!
I did a 1lb box of pasta and 1lb of sausage and changed nothing else in the recipe and it turned out perfectly!
This recipe was absolutely amazing. I felt like I had made a restaurant quality dish, and certainly couldn’t help myself from a second bowl, whoops! Made in summer and it was still fantastic ;). We used hot Italian sausage which I would argue is definitely the way to go.
Thank you so much for sharing!
My daughter made this last night for our anniversary dinner and in her words “we inhaled it” being an Italian family we were skeptical but this was amazing. She followed the recipe but used a can of tomato sauce with garlic and oregano and added some shredded mozzarella. This is definitely going in our monthly rotation!!
Quick question, I was only able to find light cream due to the world situation, should I change anything else about the recipe because of this?
Add some butter which will be essentially the same thing at that point.
So for my anniversary last night I printed this recipe and purchased all the ingredients because my husband wanted to make me something. The recipe came out DELICIOUS! We followed the recipe exactly except hubby went heavy on spices and garlic because we love more, and we used spicy Italian sausage. He isn’t a very fast cook at all but he had this done in under an hour and he was so proud to have made something so tasty so quickly, for him lol. So great recipe! Thank you!
Just found a new favorite. Thank you for sharing
really nice, thank you, my husband is Italian and he was little bit shocked from ingredients I used (especially creamy) but he loves it!!!My little son 2.5y old said buono mama. thank you
What is the best way to measure out 8 ounces of pasta?
use half of a one-pound package, or use a kitchen scale.
What kind of Tomato Sauce did you use?
We made this for dinner and it was SO good! It will definitely be on a regular rotation for dinner.
My husband said this is the best thing I’ve ever made! And I agree it is delicious. I used chicken sausage and it worked perfectly. Thank you for this recipe!
Yummy!
Absolutely phenomenal! Such a dang good meal and definitely one that will be made over and over again. My only suggestion for me personally is a little less italian seasoning and basil, other wise perfect!
This pasta is beyond delicious! My boy who is “allergic” to anything with vegetables can’t get enough of this dish!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was a total hit! My mom doesn’t really like sausage because it gives her heartburn, but she loved the sauce and the shells. Might experiment with this in the future. Use a different type of sausage and possibly just plain ground beef for this.
I fixed this wonderful meal tonight for the first time, but it definitely won’t be the last! Prepared exactly as the recipe read, my husband and I both had second helpings. He described the dish as exquisitely flavorful. A new favorite in this house! I apologize for not speaking up sooner, since we have enjoyed so many of your recipes over the past few years. I never imagined that I would find renewed inspiration in the kitchen at 73, and I have you to thank for this! Love all your postings. Keep up the great work!!
Absolutely amazing! The most delicious dinner I’ve made in a long time. I will be making this again regularly!!
Can this recipe be made with chicken breast instead of sausage?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
Another delicious meal! Super easy and oh so good. I substituted half and half for the cream to cut down on some of the calories and it was still super creamy and delicious. Thanks for another winner!
I made this for dinner last night. This is so simple yet so scrumptious! Will definitely be making this again!!
It really is. Thanks for sharing, Caitlyn!
Made this last night and oh my gosh it was soooo good! Made with chicken sausage. Definitely a keeper!
Sounds amazing, Natalie!
Loved this recipe. Very easy to make! I added some red jalepenos to the red pepper mix – hubby likes spicy food 😉
Delicious and easy. Aaaaand your sneaking in the red pepper as a veggie
Just made this using chicken italian sausage and it was the bomb! Definitely adding this to my recipe rotation!
Awesome!
This looks so yummy! Planning to make it this weekend. Question – any suggestions on how to make this into a baked pasta dish so I can assemble in advance and bake it off right before dinner?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. But if you get a chance to try it, please let me know how it turns out! 🙂
SOOOO good! The sauce is seriously addictive, you’re right! I substituted cashew cream + vegan parmesan (lactose intolerant here, hiii) and it still turned out amazing! We doubled the recipe to freeze some for a rainy day but we’re already defrosting more almost every day, it’s that good!
We made this tonight, it’s amazing. My husband is learning to cook and found your directions easy to follow.
So delicious and simple. This has made it into my weeknight dinner rotation! Thank you so much for another great recipe.
This was absolutely delicious. My whole family loved it and everyone went back for seconds. The only change I made was to add just a little bit of red pepper flakes because we like spice. I’m not most skilled cook and I’m trying to find different recipes to add to our regular meal rotation. This one definitely made the list. Thanks for the wonderful easy to follow recipe.
Made this for dinner tonight and it is amazing. So creamy and delicious and easy to make. Will definitely be adding this to the rotation!
It’s the best! Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Delicious, great Italian meal. Easy to cook.
oh my ever loving goodness. this was FABULOUS. One taste to check for seasoning and I nearly feel to the floor this was so good. My husband came home from eating out and STILL ate a hearty portion of this straight out of the pan. It’s a keeper!
That’s great! Happy to hear you liked it!
YUM! Creamy deliciousness right here. Only had 1/2 lb of Italian sausage and it was still delicious. This would be a great recipe to throw together with pasta shells already cooked and in the fridge. Spent some time waiting for them to boil and finish cooking. It’s comforting with a fresh flavor of basil mixed in. I will definitely be making this again!
That’s great! Thanks, Kendall!
I made it 2 days ago and still eating it. So delicious, creamy and filling. Thank you!
Omg this really IS to die for. So easy. So delicious. I’m pretty obsessed with this blog. You have yet to let me down!
Awesome, Serina! Hopefully we won’t! 🙂
This was soooo good and easy!! A hit in my house where can I get the nutrition values for these dishes?
Nutritional information is provided only for select recipes at this time. However, if it is not available for a specific recipe, we recommend using free online resources at your discretion (you can Google “nutritional calculator”) to obtain such information. Hope that helps!
This recipe is AMAZING. I used hot Italian sausage. My family is obsessed with it! I’m made it once each week since you posted this! Yummm! Forget self control I’m making it again tonight LOL! 🙂
Awesome!
Oh my goodness. This is delicious!!!! My husband and my super picky daughter loved it! Thank you so much for the great recipe!
That’s great!
Wowzer! This recipe is outstanding! Soooooo delicious! I followed the recipe exactly but I used orecchiette pasta instead of shells. We felt like we were dining in a fine Italian restaurant with this recipe. What a keeper!
Happy to hear you loved it!
We’ve made this 3 times since the New Year. Nuff said. Thanks again.
Oh wow – that’s great!
This is one of the best things I’ve ever made. I’d cut back the Italian sausage to 12 oz next time. Otherwise perfection.
Followed the recipe to the letter and it was fabulous! My kids are obsessed with spaghetti but the hubby and I get so tired of the same old red sauce. This was a great change of pace and a wonderful trip to flavor town! Thank you for this recipe!
That’s great!
This was soooooo good, part of me wanted to ask the nutrition facts on it, but it’s probably best not to know haha.
Great recipe! My toddler is becoming really fussy and she absolutely loved this! I didn’t use any salt and used low-salt chicken stock instead, we both enjoyed it!
That’s awesome!
I followed the recipe exactly with two minor exceptions, I added an additional garlic clove and used Turkey Italian sausage. This was amazing! It was easy and quick, with easy to find ingredients (which is REALLY important to me) but tasted as if it simmered for hours. Great flavor.
That sounds delicious!
This was so delicious. I subbed out evaporated milk, since I had that in the pantry. My fiancé loved it. Keeper on this super cold, snowy MI night.
Keep warm!
This was soooooo good, I almost cried when I was done with the leftovers! Definitely recommend using hot sausage instead of sweet!
Thank you, Ashley!
This was a rich and delicious comfort food meal in one. I used bulk sausage, container parmesan cheese (don’t cringe) and dried basil as those ingredients are what I had on hand. I also doubled shells, as I felt it had more sauce than I cared for regardless of previous reviews. So tasty, would definitely make again only use fat free half and half instead of heavy cream. Have to cut the fat somewhere 😉
Great idea! 🙂
Looking forward to making this next week! What would be some good side dishes to go with it other than garlic bread?
It’s a pretty full meal on its own, but you could add a vegetable or small salad on the side? It’s really your preference. You can check our side dish section for some inspiration: https://damndelicious.net/category/side-dish/.
This was delicious!! Made it with whole wheat penne and and used an arrabiatta sauce instead of tomato sauce (was just what I had). Tossed in some fresh basil at the end. This is definitely going in my monthly rotation! Thanks!
Great modifications!
AMAZING!!! One of the best pasta dishes on the site 🙂 super easy and yummy!
Awesome!
It was good the 1st time,but needed some bite. I used marinara instead of tomato sauce and the outcome was AWESOME
I made this last night and my two-year-old LOVED it! She ate her entire bowl and then kept asking for bites of mine. I used ground turkey and added an entire bushel of kale in with the sauce. It was delicious and so easy. Thanks for sharing!
That’s awesome!
I love this recipe. Does anyone know what a “serving” is in this recipe?
Mischelle, you would have to divide the full amount by 4 servings to get the serving size. Hope that helps!
Could this recipe be made with cream cheese instead of cream?
Very yummy! Family liked it. Served with a slice of homemade potato bread. Perfect for a winter weeknight.
That sounds great!
Delicious! A worthy entry into the meal rotation.
Sweet!
Super Yummy. Even my pickiest eater was won over. It was devoured before leftovers was a consideration.
That’s great!
This was so so good! Definitely adding it to the rotation. Thanks for an awesome recipe. Even my kids enjoyed it. I threw a big fistful of spinach in at the end to make myself feel like it was a little healthier.
Thank you for sharing!
Truly delicious. I actually don’t usually like red pepper pastas.
There’s lots of sauce. Depending on how one prefers the sauce to pasta ratio, more pasta could be used.
Will definitely make again!
Thanks, Mandy!
Do you think doubling the pasta would be too much? Just curious. Thanks!
Yes, there may not be enough sauce for all the pasta. But as always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I made this last night, and kept the pasta at 8 oz. This was great, and I will definitely make again. The extra sauce is ok with me, I might even make breadsticks next time! Thanks!
That’s great!
Amazing pasta! Added just a dash of crushed red pepper for a little spice, also a full cup of chicken stock. Hubby loved it!! Easy and fast, it’s a keeper!
That’s great!
Thanks for this recipe – it came at just the right time, as I had some jarred red peppers sitting in the fridge that I wasn’t sure what to do with! I’m actually vegetarian and looking to cut down on dairy, so I followed this recipe while making some vegan substitutions – Tofurky Italian sausage, soy milk, veggie broth, nutritional yeast, etc.
It came out AMAZING and is definitely going into my rotation! 🙂
Just finished making this pasta! My fiancé and I usually don’t like red sauce pastas but this is definitely something else. It is by far one of my favorite recipes from you.☺️ It’s easy and simple to make! I even added in a little bit of red chili peppers to spice it up great job and thank you !
So happy you liked it!
Delicious, perfect, creamy. Fool proof instructions. Can’t wait to try next recipe!
do you have a brand of red peppers you like?
I actually don’t have a preferred brand!
Yum! I have four bell peppers in the fridge; do you think I could roast them myself and use them in place of jarred? Should I add oil? Thanks, my family loves your recipes.
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
I think that would be even better!
Google should show you how to roast, sweat, peel red bell peppers.
You shouldn’t need to add oil. There’s plenty of fat from the sausage. The jarred peppers I used were packed in oil.
This recipe should be pretty flexible.
It’s a chilly night in Salt Lake City, so we made this to warm us up! Used a spicy Italian sausage to add a little heat, but this pasta dish was amazing! My husband had two big bowls! Thank you!
Awesome!
Your recipe sounded simple, so I decided to make it for my husband tonight and he Absolutely Loved it! So delicious! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thanks, Kay!
Hi! I just started reading your blog. I check it every day now for new recipes. I recently got an instant pot and so far I have made your chili and your burrito bowls. They are both sooo good and on rotation. I’m a college student and I have saved so much money making your recipes in the IP. I make one meal and eat it all week! Hope to see more IP recipes!
I got the recipe in my inbox and decided that I’d make it for dinner the same night. Pretty quick and simple, and it was delicious. My kids loved it! I did use spicy sausage, doubled the garlic, and tossed in some fresh oregano because I had it. Keep these types of dishes coming!
Awesome! You’re so quick!
Damn delicious! As it is summer time where I live, I will not add the peppers now. 😉
Sounds like a very good recipe. Being severely lactose intolerant, I think the recipe would still be very good without the cream. Real Italian Parmesan cheese has the lactose digested out of it by the bacteria which create the cheese, so, it is an acceptable cheese for someone with lactose intolerance.
Hi! I have a hard time finding medium shells. Can I substitute penne or some other pasta shape? Can I sub half and half for the heavy cream?
Yes and yes! 🙂