Creamy Red Pepper Shells
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
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.