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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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! 🙂