Cajun Sausage Pasta with Peppers

Behold the tastiest and easiest one pot recipe for Cajun sausage pasta with peppers!

Tender pasta with spinach, bell pepper, garlic, Cajun and Italian seasonings, Parmesan and fresh herbs.

It's an easy weeknight meal that's packed with flavor. Let's get cooking!

How to make Cajun sausage pasta with peppers

Featured Ingredients

• Pasta: I like to use a shaped pasta like penne or farfalle (bow tie), but you can use any shape you like. I also like to up the nutrition in the recipe by using whole grain pasta, and if possible, one that's been fortified with protein.
• Italian sausage: Grab a package of ground Italian sausage or links (remove the casings), mild or spicy.
• Bell peppers: Any color, grab 2! You want plenty of peppers in this deliciousness.
• Spinach: You can use fresh or frozen, and make sure to use at least 4 cups! It adds tons of nutrition and color to the dish!
• Cajun seasoning: You can use a premade Cajun seasoning or make your own. Be sure to pay attention to how much salt is in a premade Cajun seasoning, because you'll want to adjust the amount of salt you add. Taste before adding any salt! Also, some Cajun seasonings are spicier than others, so if you don't like spice, make you own without any cayenne or red pepper flakes. If you like spice, add cayenne or red pepper flakes to your desired taste!
• Italian seasoning: A tablespoon will do, or you can add basil, oregano and a little thyme.
• Pasta water: A magical ingredient, indeed! It will give the pasta a luxurious, glossy "sauce" from the starch that resides in the water once the pasta has been cooked in it. I almost always reserve pasta water when I'm making pasta!

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then drain.
2. In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage until lightly browned, breaking it up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add olive oil, bell pepper and spinach and cook 3-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted. 
3. Stir in the garlic and Cajun and Italian seasonings.  Add pasta water and pasta to the skillet and season with salt and black pepper, stirring to combine.  Simmer until liquid has absorbed, stirring constantly.
4. Serve in bowls with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Recipe Substitutions and Alterations

• For the pasta: Use any pasta to your liking or nutritional needs. There are a ton of pasta varieties out there, like regular white pasta, whole grain pastas, pastas fortified with protein or omega 3, veggie-based pastas and bean- and legume-based pasta. Whatever you like best, you can use it here!
• For the sausage: You can use any sausage that has Italian flavor, such as pork, turkey or chicken sausages. If you purchase the kind in casings, simply remove the sausage from the casings. You could also used smoked sausages and cut them into rounds.
• For the peppers: Use any colored bell peppers. You can even buy them pre-chopped to save time.
• For the spinach. Use fresh or frozen! I added half a bag of frozen spinach and didn't need to thaw or drain it (yay!).
• Add more veggies: This pasta is delicious with added onions and mushrooms, if that's your thing!
• For the Cajun and Italian seasonings: You can make your own Cajun seasoning and your own Italian seasoning if you want to control the amount of salt and/or heat.

Nutrition Considerations

• To make this recipe gluten free: Use gluten free pasta. Be sure all other packaged ingredients (like the sausage) are gluten free.
• To make this recipe dairy free: Skip the Parmesan or use nutritional yeast or a dairy free Parmesan instead.
• To make this vegetarian: Use plant-based sausage.
• To make this vegan: Use plant-based sausage and skip the Parmesan or use nutritional yeast or a dairy free Parmesan instead.
• To make this nut free: This recipe is nut free. Be sure all packaged ingredients are nut free.

Fabulous pasta recipes:

• Lemon Asparagus Pasta
• Brussels Sprouts Sausage Pasta
• Cheesy Taco Pasta
• Chicken Parmesan Pasta Bake
• Caprese Pesto Pasta Salad
• Pasta Calabrese with Artichokes

Cajun Sausage Pasta with Peppers

Print Recipe

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Tender pasta with spinach, bell pepper, garlic, Cajun and Italian seasonings, Parmesan and fresh herbs.  An easy weeknight meal that's packed with flavor.

• Author: Julie Andrews
• Prep Time: 10-15 mins
• Cook Time: 15-20 mins
• Total Time: 25-35 mins
• Yield: Serves 8
• Category: Dinner, Pasta
• Method: Stove-Top
• Cuisine: Italian, American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12-ounces whole grain shaped pasta
• 1-pound ground mild or spicy Italian sausage*
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium bell peppers, thinly sliced
• 4 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning*
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
• ¾ teaspoon coarse salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Handful fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped

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Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Reserve ¼ cup pasta water, then drain.
2. In a large skillet, cook Italian sausage until lightly browned, breaking it up into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add olive oil, bell pepper and spinach and cook 3-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted.  Stir in garlic and Cajun and Italian seasonings.  Add pasta water and pasta to the skillet and season with salt and black pepper, stirring to combine.  Simmer until liquid has absorbed, stirring constantly.
3. Serve in bowls with Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Notes

*Cajun Seasoning: If the Cajun seasoning has salt, you may need to adjust the amount of salt you add to the recipe. If the Cajun seasoning is not spicy, you can add red pepper flakes or cayenne to up the spice level. Taste test before adding salt or spices.

Pasta Tip: I like Barilla Protein Plus pasta for an added boost of protein.

Substitution Tip: Choose ground turkey or chicken Italian sausage for a lower fat option.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ⅛ of recipe
• Calories: 408
• Sugar: 2g
• Sodium: 520mg
• Fat: 24g
• Saturated Fat: 7g
• Unsaturated Fat: 17g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 31g
• Fiber: 4g
• Protein: 17g
• Cholesterol: 46mg