I was married to an Italian for 25 years and that means I prepared a ton of pasta dishes with red sauce. But there are plenty of other ways to serve pasta and one of my favorites is with olive oil and chicken broth. My recipe for Sausage, Penne & Peas is a simple dish with plenty of flavor minus the heavy sauce.
Sausage, Penne & Peas
This recipe is something I threw together based off of my Spicy Chicken & Bowties which I still need to load on this blog. It’s basically the same thing, only this time I threw some fennel seed and basil into the mix, and instead of chicken I’m using Italian sausage.
Instead of canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, I use sun-dried tomatoes and red pepper flakes for plenty of flavor and a bit of spice. I love this dish for its simplicity and it makes a great lunch the next day!
Ingredients for Sausage, Penne & Peas
- 5 sweet Italian Sausage links (about 1 pound)
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 2 scallions, sliced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 10 ounces frozen peas
- Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
Kitchen tools you may find helpful:
- Skillet
- Pasta pot
- Colander
- Tongs
- Pasta server
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
I hoe you get a change to try this Sausage, Penne & Peas. It’s packed with flavor without a heavy sauce weighing it down. Let me know if you try it! You might also like my Penne with Tomato Sage Sausage Sauce.
Ingredients
- 5 sweet Italian sausage links
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tsp fennel seed
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 10 ounces frozen peas Small package
- freshly ground pepper
- 1 cup of reserved pasta cooking water
Things You'll Need
- Large skillet
- Stockpot
- Colander
- Tongs
- Pasta server
- Cutting board
- Chef's knife
Instructions
- Brown both sides of Italian sausage in a skillet.
- Add enough water to come halfway up the sides of the links. Cook on a steady low boil for about 20 minutes, turning once during cooking.
- Remove sausage and set aside to rest a few minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the pasta on to cook and pour the frozen peas into a bowl and cover with hot water.
- In a skillet heat 2 tbsp of olive oil. Sauté minced garlic and green onion in oil until tender.
- Add red pepper flakes and sun-dried tomatoes sauté a few more minutes.
- Add remaining herbs and the chicken broth. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Add sausage and toss to coat.
- Drain the peas and add to sausage mixture in pan.
- Cook for a few minutes to mingle flavors and until peas are heated. Turn off heat.
- Drain pasta.
- Combine pasta and sausage mixture and toss to coat. If pasta needs some moisture, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water. Season with salt & pepper.
