Italian-American · main

Chicken Sausage and Peppers Pasta

Chicken Sausage and Peppers Pasta reads umami 8.1, richness 8.0 and salinity 5.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian-American main, about 37 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 8.9 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.2 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 3.0 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 8.7 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.1 · Richness 8.0 · Salinity 5.7 · Sweetness 4.4 · Allium 3.8 · Herbaceous 3.8 · Fruity 2.5 · Heat 2.5 · Funk & Ferment 2.4 · Nutty 2.3 · Sourness 2.3 · Citrus 2.3 · Floral 1.8 · Warm Spice 1.8 · Earthy 1.4 · Bitterness 1.2

What's in it (16)

• penne pasta — 340 g
• italian flavored sausage — 454 g
• olive oil — 27 g
• red bell peppers — 200 g
• yellow bell pepper — 100 g
• yellow onion — 110 g
• garlic — 12 g
• red chili flakes — 3 g
• low-salt chicken broth — 237 g
• dry white wine — 118 g
• tomato paste — 15 g
• salt — 5 g
• black pepper — 3 g
• unsalted butter — 27 g
• parmesan cheese — 57 g
• basil — 15 g

Time & effort: about 37 min · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 86 kcal, 6.3 g protein, 4.7 g fat, 6.4 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the penne (1) until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than the package suggests, roughly 9-10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain the pasta.
2. While the water heats and the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil (3) in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken sausage (2) in a single layer and sear, turning occasionally, until deeply browned on both cut sides, 5-6 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate.
3. Add the red and yellow bell peppers (4, 5) and onion (6) to the same skillet. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly charred at the edges, 7-8 minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic (7) and red pepper flakes (8); sauté until fragrant, about 45 seconds. Add the tomato paste (11) and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens slightly and coats the vegetables, about 1 minute.
5. Pour in the white wine (10), scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom, and simmer until reduced by half, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth (9) and bring to a steady simmer.
6. Return the seared sausage and any collected juices to the skillet. Simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly and the sausage is cooked through to 165 F internally, 4-5 minutes.
7. Add the drained pasta and the butter (14) to the skillet along with 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss over medium heat until the sauce clings to the noodles and turns glossy, 1-2 minutes, adding more pasta water a splash at a time if the sauce looks tight. Season with the kosher salt (12) and black pepper (13) to taste.
8. Remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the Parmesan (15) until melted into the sauce, then fold in the basil (16). Plate immediately, topping with extra Parmesan.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Rigatoni — Italian-American
• Baked Ziti with Sausage and Ricotta — Italian-American
• Chicken and Sausage Rigatoni Bake — Italian-American
• Rigatoni alla Vodka with Italian Sausage — Italian-American
• Baked Tortellini in Creamy Tomato Sauce — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.