Italian Sausage Pasta with Vegetables is one of my go-to recipes when I am short on time. This recipe is so easy to make and it's a family friendly weeknight dinner that everyone at home will love! Italian sausage is seared with bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, fresh tomatoes in cajun spices, with a splash of red wine! Then, it's tossed with penne pasta and topped with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese!
Ingredients you need for Italian Sausage Pasta
This recipe uses lots of fresh veggies that you will roast in the skillet together with an Italian sausage. Fresh veggies is what makes this pasta dish so special. As well as Cajun seasoning. And the splash of red wine. Below is the list of what you need:
Fresh produce
- onion
- garlic cloves
- bell pepper
- tomatoes
- mushrooms
Sausage and pasta
- olive oil
- Italian sausages (1 pound of sausage or 4 sausage links)
- Cajun seasoning
- red wine
- penne pasta (Tip: for gluten free version use gluten-free brown rice penne, such as Tinkyada brand)
- Parmesan cheese
This has been one of my most favorite pastas for years. I love roasting vegetables on stove top and then mixing them with some meat, pasta and spices! So easy and delicious!
Variations of this kind of Italian sausage pasta are endless - you can use all kinds of vegetables, different kinds of pasta, all sorts of spices. In this recipe, I am using Italian sausage for meat and Cajun seasoning for spice. You couldn't come up with the easier and simpler combination of ingredients than that!
What is Italian sausage?
Italian sausage is a pork sausage seasoned with various spices. The Italian sausage can be mild, medium, and hot. It is often sold in sausage links.
Cooking tips:
- Remove casings from the sausage and slice the sausage into small pieces. Do this even if you use sausage links. This will make the texture of the whole dish much better!
- Do use Cajun seasoning generously - it provides great flavor to vegetables and the pasta.
- To make this dish gluten free, use gluten free brown rice penne - there are many options on the market right now.
How long do you cook Italian sausage?
In this recipe, I used 1 lb of Italian sausage (about 4 sausage links, casings removed). First slice the sausage, then cook for about 5 minutes in a small amount of olive oil. Then, continue cooking the sausage with some liquid in the pan (red wine and juices from the veggies) for about 10-15 more minutes.
How to make Italian Sausage Pasta with Vegetables
And here are step-by-step photos of this very simple recipe that really doesn't need any step-by-step photos! But all the ingredients are so appetizing, I couldn't restrain myself from taking pictures. 🙂
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add sliced Italian sausage, and cook, occasionally stirring, until it's cooked through, drain the fat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil into the skillet with sausage, add chopped onion and garlic, half of the Cajun seasoning - cook, constantly stirring, on high heat until onion softens:
Add chopped bell peppers:
Then, immediately add tomatoes:
You can even add more tomatoes:
Next, add mushrooms:
Add the remaining half of Cajun seasoning to the skillet with sausage and vegetables. Cook for about 2 minutes, constantly stirring, on medium-high heat to sear the vegetables nicely on stove-top:
Add dry red wine to the skillet, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and simmer, covered, occasionally stirring, for about 5-7 minutes. The liquid should reduce somewhat but not completely. Remove from heat. Salt to taste. Add more Cajun seasoning, if necessary:
Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and immediately add to the skillet with the sausage and the sauce. Mix everything well, cover, and heat the pasta on low heat for 1-2 minutes. To serve, top Italian sausage pasta with shredded Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper:
Other recipes with sausage and pasta
- If you like creamy pasta sauce with smoked sausage, don't miss this delicious creamy mozzarella pasta with smoked sausage.
- If you like tortellini, be sure to try this sausage and tortellini recipe that's really popular on my site: creamy tortellini with sausage, spinach, and tomatoes.
- And also check out this tasty and a little bit spicy one pot salsa verde pasta with sausage and black beans - it used to be one of my favorite lunches to take to work and one of my favorite recipes ever!
Italian Sausage Pasta with Vegetables
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausages , casings removed, sliced
- 1 small onion , very finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 bell pepper , very finely chopped
- 4 tomatoes , chopped, or 15 cherry tomatoes, each sliced in half
- 8 ounces mushrooms , finely sliced
- ¾ cup red wine
- 10 oz penne pasta (for gluten-free, use gluten-free brown rice penne)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese , shredded
Instructions
- Remove casings from the sausage and slice the sausage into small pieces.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add sausage. Cook, occasionally stirring, until it's cooked through, drain the fat. Add another tablespoon of olive oil into the skillet with sausage, add chopped onion and garlic, half of the Cajun seasoning - cook, constantly stirring, on high heat until onion softens.
- Add chopped bell peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and the remaining half of Cajun seasoning to the skillet with sausage. Cook for about 2 minutes, constantly stirring, on medium-high heat to sear the vegetables nicely on stove-top.
- Add wine to the skillet, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and simmer, covered, occasionally stirring, for about 5-7 minutes. The liquid should reduce somewhat but not completely. Remove from heat. Salt to taste. Add more Cajun seasoning, if necessary.
- Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions. Drain and immediately add to the skillet with the sauce. Mix everything well, cover, and heat the pasta on low heat for 1-2 minutes.
- To serve, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper.
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This recipe was originally published on February 19, 2015 and republished with updates, cooking tips in May 2018.
This was really good! I cooked it as a one skillet meal and put about 1 cup of each of chicken broth and penne pasta straight into the skillet and simmered. I added some frozen veggies too. Very good with garlic/cheese Texas toast!!
Love that you turned this into a one-skillet meal. Thank you for sharing your tips and feedback!
I don't like white sauces and can do without tomato sauces so this worked out absolutely deliciously! I made it just for myself so I cut the recipe in half; I'll be making this again and again!
Jan, your comment made my day! Glad you've found this recipe, gave it a try, and enjoyed it! 🙂
What could I substitute for the wine?
Use chicken broth. Enjoy!
Definitely!
Love this! Do you think adding a red/white sauce to this recipe would work well?
Cajun, not cashing
Delicious, though I modified seasoning. Serving mom cashing anything wouldn’t fly. I substituted salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Perfection!
Made this today. It is delicious. Even My picky 6 y/o granddaughter love it.
Thank you! I am happy you enjoyed this pasta!
Hi Julia,
I’ve prepared this recipe so many times since my 2019 review. I made it again this evening. I usually double the recipe for a family of 6 and have some left over for two lunches. My granddaughter is 8 now and this is still one of her favorites. It’s in my family favorite folder.
Ramona, your comment made my day! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this heartfelt comment - I so appreciate it! It's so nice to read such positive feedback.