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 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 😉