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.
Featured Comment
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 heavenly cream sauce here!
But this is not just any ordinary cream sauce. It’s a roasted 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 can use jarred roasted red peppers, cutting the prep time in half and making this the speediest dinner ever.
why i love this recipe
- Weeknight superhero. Say hello to a true 30 min dinner, start to finish, using pantry staples, a blender for a quick chop and mix, and using up what you have on hand for such an easy dinner recipe. And the red pepper cream sauce is simply out of this world amazing.
- Restaurant-quality. This may come together in lightning fast speed but you’ll still have restaurant-quality pasta in a flash, sure to impress even weekend company or a romantic date, especially with homemade crusty bread.
- Kid-friendly. Need to get in that serving of veggies for those picky eaters? Sneak in some greens or veggies to soak up all that creamy, dreamy, saucy goodness.
- Flexible recipe. This red pepper cream sauce is incredibly versatile. Serve over pasta, over meatballs or simply with some of your favorite bread (or dipping vessels).
- Freezes beautifully. This pasta dinner freezes like a dream, and can keep in the freezer for up to 2 months, making weeknight meals even more effortless.
tips and tricks for success
- Use your favorite meat. Mild or spicy Italian sausage, ground beef, chicken or turkey will all work very well here.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your dish. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Sneak in greens and veggies. This is a great opportunity to sneak in some veggies for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, arugula or finely chopped up broccoli florets and green beans are all great options.
- Make it lighter. Cut down on the richness and substitute whole milk, or skip the cream altogether.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
- Freeze as needed. Let cool completely and portion into plastic freezer bags in individual servings, squeezing out any excess air before sealing. Lay the bags flat in a single layer in the freezer (this will help them freeze quickly). Label, date and freeze up to 2 months.
what to serve with creamy red pepper shells
Tools For This Recipe
Large cast iron skillet
Creamy Red Pepper Shells: Frequently Asked Questions
Shells and tubes are crowd-favorites, but penne, rigatoni and rotini are all great options.
Not at all! Ground beef, ground pork or ground turkey can be used instead.
Tomato sauce, in the US, is tomato puree typically cooked down for a thick, smooth consistency with a relatively sweet flavor. Passata is simply uncooked tomato purée. You can use passata in place of tomato sauce, but it is not a completely equal substitute.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight and reheat over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
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
Equipment
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.
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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!