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.
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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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!