One Pot Sausage & Peppers Pasta

Sausage and bell peppers go together so well that you can use them in all sorts of preparations. On a sandwich, in a salad, burger, rice and yes pasta. This latest one-pan dinner recipe does just that. Combining a simple creamy pan sauce with sausage, peppers and orzo pasta is a delightful weeknight dinner. You will definitely want to be adding One Pot Sausage & Peppers Pasta to your next menu plan.

You will need a wide high sided pan for this recipe. At least 12 inches like the Ninja Kitchen 12inch saute pan or the 14in DiamondClad Everything Pan. If you try to cook this in a taller stock pot, it will cook unevenly – with the outer parts being mushy by the time the middle is al dente. I used orzo for the recipe because I just really like the way it cooks up in a one-pot recipe. You can also use another small pasta like ditalini or vermicelli. Since you are essentially cooking it like a rice, it needs to small like rice so that it absorbs the majority of the liquid.

The one main spice used in this recipe is Paprika. Have you ever asked yourself what is paprika? You might be surprised to learn that it is actually just dried and ground red bell peppers. Smoked Paprika on the other hand is a Spanish style of spice that is made from a chili pepper called a pimenton that is smoked over oak before being dried and ground. The two spices actually have quiet different flavors- with regular (or sometimes called Hungarian, as that’s where it originated) paprika having a slightly sweet flavor and Smoked Paprika have a deeper, woody flavor to. Often people think they are interchangeable, when they really aren’t.

One pot dinners are a staple in the world of homemade on a weeknight cooking. There are a plethora of pros to making dinner all in one pot or pan on a weeknight. Simplicity being the biggest pro of all – as you don’t use any real fancy techniques or tricks. Clean up is a breeze with just the one pot or pan (and likely the lid). They usually don’t require a lot of active cooking – just get things going, put on the lid and walk away for most of the cook time. You also develop this great melding of flavors with everything cooking together. Really you can’t go wrong with a one-pot meal.

Now Let’s Get Cookin’!

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One Pot Sausage & Peppers Pasta

A simple but flavorful one pot meal full of bell peppers, smoked sausage and pasta.

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked pasta, bell peppers, grated parmesan, heavy cream, onions, orzo, Parmesan, smoked sausage

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Oil
• 1 Yellow Onion diced
• 3 Garlic Cloves minced
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 tsp Thyme
• 2 lb Smoked Sausage cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 Red Bell Pepper diced
• 1 Yellow Bell Pepper diced
• 1 Orange Bell Pepper diced
• 1½ lb Orzo
• 6 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated

Instructions

• In large saute pan over medium high heat, add oil. Once hot add onions, garlic, salt, pepper and thyme. Saute for 3 minutes then add sausage, and bell peppers. Cook other 3 minutes.
• Add orzo to pan the stir to combine with sausage and pepper (it's okay if the orzo gets a little toasted). Add broth and paprika to the pan. Bring just to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and cover pan. Let cook for 20 minutes (or until most of the liquid has been absorbed).
• Remove lid and stir in heavy cream and parmesan cheese. Replace lid and let cook another 5 minutes before serving.