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Paccheri with Sausage in creamy tomato sauce is an easy yet elegant Italian pasta dish to make at home! This short tubular pasta is smothered in a tomato cream sauce with bell peppers, garlic, and sausage. Paccheri has its origins in Campania, Italy, and is traditionally used in Neapolitan cuisine.
Pasta and sausage make one of my favorite combinations. Just take a look at the sausage tortellini recipe and smoked sausage pasta.
This time I decided to use short, tube-shaped pasta I've seen recently at the store. Paccheri pasta got my attention because of its size - it's about 1 inch in diameter. I knew it would go well with a tomato-based meat sauce and would look great on a plate!
Paccheri pasta has an amazing texture and flavor when combined with Italian sausage, bell peppers, garlic, and tomato cream sauce. It's one of those recipes that a whole family will appreciate. This short tubular pasta with ridges looks impressive on a plate!
Tomato cream sauce is made using basic ingredients, such as store-bought tomato sauce, heavy cream, garlic, and basil.
What is paccheri?
- Paccheri is a large, short, tubular shaped pasta. Paccheri has its origins in Campania, a region in Southern Italy, and is often used in Neapolitan cuisine.
- It is usually topped with sauce, such as ragu (meat-based sauce). Paccheri is also often stuffed with various ingredients, such as ricotta or burrata cheese.
- Paccheri pasta usually has a smooth surface. Some types of paccheri have ridges down their length.
Paccheri vs rigatoni
- Paccheri is much larger and wider compared to rigatoni, although both types of pasta look very similar in shape.
- Both rigatoni and paccheri are often served with sauces.
What to serve with Paccheri pasta
- Bread. Serve baguette, garlic bread, olive bread or sourdough bread with your pasta. For a crunchy crust, reheat the bread briefly in the preheated oven.
- Salad. Throw some greens together with olive oil or balsamic vinegar based salad dressing. Top with toasted nuts and Parmesan cheese. Simple spinach salad is a great choice!
Substitutions
- What can you use instead of paccheri? You can use other short, tube-shaped pasta. Rigatoni is the best choice. You can also use penne or ziti.
- What kind of sausage to use with pasta? Use Italian ground pork sausage without casings. It's best to use spicy sausage.
- What is a good substitute for canned tomato sauce? You can use canned diced tomatoes or canned crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce.
How to make paccheri pasta
1) In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage on medium heat, until the meat is cooked through. Drain off fat.
2) Next, add tomato sauce.
3) Add diced bell peppers, minced garlic, and basil, bring to boil.
4) Immediately reduce to simmer and add heavy cream.
5) Stir the sauce to combine.
6) Cook paccheri pasta al dente. Drain. Add cooked paccheri to the skillet with the sauce. Increase the heat, until the sauce simmers.
7) Season with salt and pepper.
Other pasta sauces to make with paccheri
- Linguine with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
- Creamy Farfalle Pasta with Spinach, Mushrooms, and Caramelized Onions
- Sun-Dried Tomato Mushroom Pasta
Paccheri Pasta with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb Italian sausage spicy
- 15 oz tomato sauce canned
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- ½ teaspoon basil dried
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 8 oz paccheri pasta
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook sausage on medium heat, until the meat is cooked through. Drain off fat.
- Add tomato sauce, diced bell peppers, minced garlic, and basil, bring to a brief boil. Reduce to simmer and add heavy cream.
- Cook paccheri pasta al dente. Drain.
- Add cooked paccheri to the skillet with the sausage and tomato cream sauce. Increase the heat, until the sauce simmers. Season with salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
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.
Couldn’t find the Paccheri Pasta but did it with large rigatoni.
This was killer.
Vince, Large rigatoni is a perfect substitution — I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
This recipe was absolutely delicious! My boyfriend and I decided by 8:30 pm, one night, that we were in the mood for some pasta. I found this recipe. We quickly ran to the store to get some ingredients we didn’t have … and by 9:15 we were sitting at the table eating the most delicious pasta dinner! Super Quick! Super Easy … Full of incredible flavor!
Danielle, I am so flattered by your comment! 🙂 First of all, I am really glad the recipe turned out well. And, THANK YOU for stopping by and taking the time to share such a positive and enthusiastic comment, I really appreciate it! 🙂
Wow. This was so good! I’ve had this Paccheri in my pantry for awhile. I’m so glad I found your recipe!
Janna, I am so glad you found my recipe, too! 🙂
This was so easy and so so delicious. Had company over for dinner and all 4 of us thought it was fantastic. I actually wanted to lick my plate clean [held back due to company ... 🙂 ]
Sherry, thank you so much for your humorous comment! 🙂 I am so glad you loved this recipe!
Oh my Gosh, this recipe is beyond amazingly yummy!!! Easy recipe, of which most of your recipes are!!
Me being me, I added sautéed onions and mushrooms to this recipe! And basically double the recipe as well! Every thing is ready to serve! Julia, I can’t thank you enough for yet another scrumptious recipe! My husband is a huge lover of sausage! He will go yummy over yet another of your recipes! Thank YOU!!!
Debbie, I am so flattered by your comment! I know a lot of people might like the recipe but don't have the time to comment, but when I see glowing reviews like yours - they really make my day! By the way, love your additions of sautéed onions and mushrooms!
Made this tonight and it was a major hit! Didn’t have spicy sausage so I added red pepper flakes while the sausage was browning! Saved this recipe 6 months ago… Just came back from Italy and brought back tons of pasta including some paccheri so I could make this recipe! Definitely a winner!
Genny, your comment made my day! Thank you for stopping by and taking the time to share positive feedback. Italy is amazing, I am myself going there in about a week. 🙂
I have a package of the Paccheri Tris and on the package there is no indication of how long to cook the Paccheri pasta. Could you please help me !!!
Hi Paul! Here is how I cooked paccheri pasta:
I brought a large pot of water to boil. Added paccheri pasta. Cooked it for about 14 minutes. Checked to make sure it was of desired tenderness, and then drained the water. Enjoy! It's delicious pasta!
We bought paccheri lingui at Lovera’s shop in Krebs, Okla.(I’m from McAlester) recently and had no idea what to do with it. Your recipe was absolutely fantastic! We added 2T tomato paste, 1 t anchovy paste and a splash of red merlot after browning spicy sausage provided by butcher. Spilled a little pasta water in when we added the pasta to the sauce. Parm kissed the dish. Amazing! Thank you!
I love your feedback! Glad you found my recipe useful! Love your idea of using red wine and adding spicy sausage.
Bought a bag of Paccheri from my local Italian deli first week of lockdown and it's been sitting on my top shelf. We finally cooked it tonight with this recipe and loved it! Squeezed the meat out of some Cumberland sausages so I'm sure it's not the same as Italian sausages but it was great nonetheless. Will make this again!
I have a friend using ricotta instead of heavy cream, its a little thicker but taste good.
This was a delicious dish! My partner loved it so much, he's asked me to make it again very soon! Thank you!
I just made this for my two fantastic boys..18 and 9 for dinner tonight. It was a hit!!!! Thank you so much!!
Ok, these look just awesome, must try soon!!
Enjoy!
Can I use milk instead of heavy cream? Thanks!
Heavy cream ensures that the sauce has a thick, creamy consistency. If you use milk, the sauce will be too thin.
Hello, made this tonight but I added some fire roasted diced tomatoes. Seemed like it was missing from the receipe. By looking at the picture looks like more was used than just tomato sauce.
Looks Delicious. !!!!
I loved your presentation. It sounds so easy to make.
Thanks !!
Thank you!
This is so good it brings back happy days In Naples
So tasty my family really enjoyed it
I am so pleased to hear that! Thank you for the comment! 🙂
Can I use turkey sausage instead of pork?
Yes, you can! I would suggest adding some spice, such as red pepper flakes.