This Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chicken Sausage is the perfect feels-fancy-but-totally-doable weeknight dinner. It comes together in about 30ish minutes with a silky sauce made from blended jarred roasted peppers, parmesan, cream cheese, and a few herbs and spices. You simmer it with caramelized shallots until it becomes a velvety, cling-to-every-noodle sauce, then toss in browned chicken sausage and perfectly cooked pasta for that cozy, satisfying-in-all-the-ways dinner vibe we all need midweek.

A plate of orecchiette with sausage slices covered in creamy red pepper sauce. A fork sits in the pasta, and a slice of bread sits on the plate. A loaf of bread with a couple of slices cut off sits on the countertop next to the plate. A small dish of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, three fresh basil leaves, and a cloth napkin also sits on the counter.

We’re calling this one a weeknight win. It’s quick, creamy, and tastes like that pasta you once had at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant in your early twenties…you know? The one you still think about years later because it was *that* good. Except this one comes together in about 30 minutes with ingredients you probably already have on hand.

The base is a silky sauce made from an entire jar of convenient roasted red peppers, a sprinkle of dried basil, Parmesan, garlic powder, and salt. It blends up smooth and rich without needing heavy cream. A mix of Greek yogurt and cream cheese stirred in at the end gives it that velvety, just-indulgent-enough texture while keeping things balanced and lighter. Fully cooked chicken sausage adds savory depth (and a little staying power) without extra prep or mess — just slice, brown up, and stir in.

It’s cozy enough for a slow weekend dinner, but fast enough for a Tuesday night when you want something that feels a little special. Simple, nourishing, and full of soul-lifting energy … this one’s absolutely been on repeat in our house and will continue as such until further notice…

Let’s make dinner together. Just you and me….

Jump to Recipe Instructions
A blender cup filled with ingredients for red pepper sauce prior to blending sits on the counter. Next to the blender cup sits a blender attachment, blender base, and a glass measuring cup.
Blend drained red peppers, water, grated Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and garlic powder.
A blender cup filled with blended ingredients for red pepper sauce sits on a counter. Next to the blender cup sits the blender base, a blender blade attachment, and a small glass dish.
Blend until smooth, then set aside. You can also use an immersion blender.
Slices of sausage being sautéed in a pot using a wooden spoon. The pot sits on a countertop.
Cook the sausage until browned. Transfer to a bowl.



Shallots being sautéed in a pot using a wooden spoon. Next to the pot on the countertop sits a bowl of sliced sausage.
Add some olive oil, add the shallots and cook until soft.
Blended red pepper sauce being poured by hand from a blender cup into a pot with sautéed shallots. A wooden spoon sits in the pot. The pot sits on a countertop.
Add the blended red pepper sauce to the pot with the cooked shallots.
Pasta covered with water in a pot. The pot sits on a single stove burner on a countertop. A metal one-cup measuring cup is being held above the pot of pasta.
Cook the pasta according to package directions. Reserve some of the pasta water before draining.
A hunk of cream cheese sits in a pot of red pepper sauce prior to being mixed in. Broth is being poured from a metal measuring cup into the pot. A wooden spoon sits in the pot, and the pot sits on the countertop.
Let the sauce simmer and stir in the cream cheese and some of pasta water until the cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened up.
A hunk of cream cheese, cooked orecchiette pasta, and sliced sausage sit in a pot of red pepper sauce prior to being mixed in. A wooden spoon sits in the pot, and the pot sits on the countertop.
Remove from heat and add int he cooked pasta, browned sausage and Greek yogurt.
Cooked orecchiette and sausage slices covered in creamy red pepper sauce. The pasta is in a pot, and a wooden spoon sits in the pasta.
5 from 4 votes

Roasted Red Pepper Pasta w/ Sausage

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Cuisine: American, Italian
Course: dinner
Author: Taesha Butler
This Roasted Red Pepper Pasta with Chicken Sausage is the perfect feels-fancy-but-totally-doable weeknight dinner. It comes together in about 30ish minutes with a silky sauce made from blended jarred roasted peppers, parmesan, cream cheese, and a few herbs and spices. You simmer it with caramelized shallots until it becomes a velvety, cling-to-every-noodle sauce, then toss in browned chicken sausage and perfectly cooked pasta for that cozy, satisfying-in-all-the-ways dinner vibe we all need midweek.
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 12 ounces Italian fully cooked chicken sausage, cut into coins
  • 10 ounce jarred roasted red peppers, liquid completely drained
  • ¼ cup water
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 medium shallot, finely diced, or ¾ cup. Can sub onion.
  • ½ cup pasta water
  • 8 ounces pasta
  • ¼ cup cream cheese
  • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
  • chopped fresh basil, optional garnish

Instructions
 

  • Drizzle the ½ tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and cook the chicken sausage until browned. About 5 minutes. Remove from pan into a bowl and set aside.
  • Cook and drain your pasta according to the package directions, reserving ¾ cup of pasta water.
  • While the pasta is cooking, add the drained red peppers, water, grated Parmesan cheese, basil, salt, and garlic powder to a small blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
    If you don't have a small blender, an immersion blender will work great!
  • Heat the remaining ½ Tablespoon of olive oil in the large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the shallots and sauté until the shallots are soft and lightly golden brown, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Once the shallots are done, pour the blended red pepper sauce into the pot with them.
  • Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream cheese and ⅓ cup of the reserved pasta water, stirring until creamy and cream cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened up (about 4 to 5 minutes). Add more pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency.
  • Remove from heat and stir in the cooked pasta, browned sausage and the Greek yogurt. Let sit for 2 to 3 minutes to let the pasta soak up some of the sauce's flavors.
  • Serve warm topped with extra Parmesan cheese and minced fresh basil, if desired.
Serving: 1/4 recipe, Calories: 493kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 74mg, Sodium: 930mg, Potassium: 275mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 690IU, Vitamin C: 23mg, Calcium: 135mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information provided here is only an estimate shared for convenience and as a courtesy. Information will vary based on ingredients + brands used to create the recipe.