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.
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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
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.
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! 🙂