Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage
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Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage was one of the first Italian dishes I learned to make. It’s delicious and still one of my favorites.
I love the sweet charm of bow tie pasta. And this sausage and pepper sauce works well with it, covering all the little nooks and crannies, so that every bite you take includes all of the taste sensations.
(Post modified with new photos on 6/8/22.)
It’s an easy recipe to make, so works great for weeknight meals. Except that it tastes as though you’ve slaved over the stove for hours. Really, it’s quite wonderful.
Cook the sausage, and while the sauce is finishing, prepare the pasta. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll have supper on the table. Voila!
Ingredients to Make Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage
See full recipe in its entirety at the bottom of this post.
- bulk pork sausage
- extra virgin olive oil
- sweet onion
- green bell pepper
- red bell pepper
- garlic
- petite diced tomatoes
- balsamic vinegar
- parsley
- basil
- oregano
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- bow tie pasta
- Parmesan cheese
On Buying Ground Sausage
When shopping for ground sausage, I always look for the lowest fat option I can find. I like Oldham’s Country Sausage, which has 16 grams of fat. There’s also William’s Country Sausage that boasts a mere 11 grams, if you can find it. With either of these brands, you don’t sacrifice any flavor, and it’s not necessary to drain the fat after cooking. A real plus!
On Using Fresh Vegetables and Herbs
I love to use fresh vegetables and herbs in this recipe. It’s the perfect dish to use your favorite garden vegetables. I’ve listed onion, bell peppers, and garlic, but I’ve also included sliced zucchini, yellow squash, and mushrooms to this mix. But I always try to include the peppers, as that is what really makes this tomato sauce special.
Fresh herbs are always a plus to a recipe. If you have them, use them!
Instructions for Making This Recipe
Gather your ingredients so that you have everything close at hand on the counter or table.
Prepare your Ingredients
Using a sharp knife and cutting board, chop the sweet onion. Dice the bell peppers. Mince the garlic.
With a fine-edged grater, grate the fresh Parmesan cheese. Set aside until ready to serve.
Preparing the Sausage and Pasta
In a large skillet or shallow Dutch oven, brown the sausage. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels, if necessary.
In the same pan add olive oil and saute onion, bell peppers, and minced garlic until tender.
Add petite diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, dried parsley, basil, and oregano. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, and then add in the cooked sausage. Continue to simmer for 7-10 minutes.
If desired, you may substitute fresh herbs for the dried. In general 1 teaspoon of dried herbs = 1 tablespoon of fresh cut herbs. I like to use fresh herbs when I can.
While this is simmering, prepare the bow tie pasta as directed on package. Boil for 10-11 minutes to al dente. Using a large spider drainer, transfer pasta to the tomato mixture.
To serve, spoon pasta and sausage tomato sauce on individual plates. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs, if desired. Serve with Soft Breadsticks or Rustic Sourdough Baguettes, or my Tangy Sourdough Bread.
This recipe will serve 6-8 people.
My wine suggestion for this dish is Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages. I love how this red wine tastes with any of my tomato pasta dishes.
See more Italian Recipes Here. Browse Main Dishes Here.
Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound bulk pork sausage
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup sweet onion chopped
- 1/2 cup green bell pepper diced
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley or fresh
- 1 teaspoon dried basil or fresh
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 oz bow tie pasta
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients so you have everything close at hand on the counter.
Prepare the Ingredients
- Using a sharp knife and cutting board, chop the sweet onion. Dice the red and green bell peppers. Mince the garlic. If using fresh herbs, you may also chop the fresh basil, parsley, and oregano, if desired. (1 tablespoon fresh herb = 1 teaspoon dried herb)
- In a large skillet or shallow Dutch oven, brown the sausage. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.
- In the same pan add olive oil and saute the prepared onion, bell peppers, and garlic until tender. Add petite diced tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, and seasonings. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cooked sausage to the tomato sauce and continue simmering for 7-10 minutes.
- While this is simmering, prepare the bow tie pasta as directed on package label. Boil for 10-11 minutes to al dente.
- Transfer pasta to the sausage tomato sauce and mix until incorporated.
- To serve, spoon pasta and sausage tomato sauce on individual plates. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs if desired. Serves 6-8.
That looks fantastic. I cannot wait to try this.
Thanks Carolina! We enjoy it. I hope you will too! Have a blessed day.