You know that feeling when you're working on something and you're like 75% sure it's not going to turn out well for one reason or another?
That's how I felt about this One Pot Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Alfredo. I should have been more confident, I guess, since the One Pot Spicy Chicken Riggies I made a few months back turned out to be better than I ever could have imagined, but I still can't get over the fact that you can cook pasta and meat and a sauce all together in one pot and make it taste good.
Better than good. Amazing, if I do say so myself...
Anyway, I had no idea where I was going with this meal when I started making it. I just kept turning to James as I pulled ingredients out of the fridge and asking him if I should throw them in. I also kept saying to myself, "I really hope this works," and humming nervously, but that's pretty typical kitchen behavior for me.
By the way, does anyone else do that? Hum nervously? James brought up the other day that I hum the theme song from Doug whenever I'm nervous, and at first I was like, "PSH, I do not!" but then I realized that I do. I totally do, and I have no idea why.
So there I was, humming and hovering over my pot of pasta, wringing my hands and waiting for disaster, but that disaster never came. Instead, I got a pot full of some of the tastiest pasta I've ever had.
Roasted red peppers, Italian sausage, spinach, goat cheese, and garlic flavor this simple dish, and leave you with a hearty meal that's as satisfying as realizing you only have one pot to wash after dinner.
Give One Pot Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Alfredo a try, and I bet it'll make its way into your weekly rotation!
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One Pot Roasted Red Pepper and Sausage Alfredo
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- ¾ lb Italian sausage
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups milk, plus ¼ cup for the sauce
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth, plus ¼ cup for the sauce
- 1 (16 oz) jar roasted red peppers, drained and pureed (you can do this in a food processor or blender)
- 4 oz goat cheese (or more, to taste)
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 3 handfuls fresh spinach
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 12 oz pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Remove the casing from the sausage and discard the casing. To do this, simply cut along the side of the sausage with a sharp knife and peel off the pierced casing with your fingers.
- In a large pot or high-walled pan, saute the sausage meat with the garlic and olive oil over medium heat, until browned.
- Stir in chicken broth, pureed roasted red pepper, milk and pasta. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is cooked through, about 12 minutes. If the liquid has all been absorbed, add the additional milk and chicken broth.
- Stir in spinach, 1 handful at a time, and cook until wilted and hot.
- Stir in the goat cheese and parmesan. Continue to stir until melted. Remove from heat and serve.
Notes
Feel free to substitute poultry-based sausages in here. They work well, too!
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
Ali says
This looks DELICIOUS and sooo easy. Definitely going to try this week!
D says
i made this tonight. While the taste was good (I added Cajun seasoning and half as much goat cheese as suggested) it came out very sticky and I completely destroyed the bottom of my pot (totally burned, stuck-on pasta). Definitely need to keep an eye on this one and stir CONSTANTLY.
Rachael says
Looks Delicious!!! What type of pasta did you use?
Morgan says
This is Girelle that I found at Wegmans. I had never heard of it before then but I really liked it. The sauce clung to it well and it cooked nicely for the one pot method. Not to mention it looks a lot different, which is cool. It is also sometimes called Vesuvio. And thank you!
Lindsay says
I made this w gluten free pasta and it works just fine!! On my way to Wegmans now to make it again!
Jessica says
Can I use pasta sauce instead of the liquids? Only asking because I don't have any red peppers. Thanks.
Lauren says
Did you ever try this? I could npt find roasted red peppers anywhere and I just ended up buying roasted red pepper sauce. I guess it just wont have the alfredo part....
Melanie says
Did you use fresh pasta or dried
Kathleen R. says
I made this for dinner tonight..so amazing!! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Tanya says
Well, let me tell you it can't be nothing but God because I just so happened to have all ingredients in my kitchen and I made it for dinner tonight and boy was it DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!! THIS is definitely a keeper and nice for company too! Make this guys!
Morgan says
I'm so happy to hear it, Tanya!
Brittney says
Wow, all I have to say is this is possibly the greatest meal i've ever made. I was skeptical at first, but was I surprised when I tasted this. PURE HEAVEN. AMAZING. JUST MAKE IT. Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙂
Morgan says
Haha I'm glad you liked it so much, Brittney! Thanks for commenting and letting me know =)
Lynni says
Absolutely loved this! Thanks for being so creative!
ashley says
Can i toss frozen tortellini in or should i cook the pasta first??
Morgan says
I've never tried using tortellini. I'm sure the cook time would increase for frozen, but it should work. Let me know how it goes if you decide to give it a try.
mindy says
What alternative to goat cheese would you recommend?
Morgan says
You could try ricotta or any creamy-textured cheese instead. It will change the taste but it should work fine.
Katherine says
This was delicious, thanks for the recipe! I used spicy Italian sausage to give it a bit of a kick.
Morgan says
Glad you liked it, Katherine!
Hormonal Homemaker says
This looks delicious...May share it on my blog!
Kim Pugliano says
From the 15-year-old son, "Wow. This is really good, Mom!" Husband, "This tastes like a restaurant dish!" Hands down the most delicious thing I've made or eaten that wasn't served for dessert. Thank so much. You are amazing.
Morgan says
I'm so happy to hear that, Kim! Thanks for commenting and letting me know =)
Carrie says
This recipe looks amazing but I cannot view it on my mobile phone. Despite trying everything it disappears and only the comments appear.
Morgan says
That's strange... I'll look into that, Carrie! Thanks!
mitzi says
just made this an it is awesome smells so good in the kitchen right now thank you for the recipe will make this again!!!!!
Morgan says
=) Happy to hear it, Mitzi!
Josie says
Just made this recipe for dinner, and it's amazing!! If you want to kick it up a bit just use hot Italian sausage instead of the mild. Let me tell you, it's pretty darn good. My whole family loved it. Josie
Morgan says
I've used hot too! It's great if you like a lot of spice! =) Glad you enjoyed it, Josie!
Jen says
I just came across this post from Pinterest and wanted you to know you're not alone--from time to time, I also find myself humming the theme song to Doug 🙂 I didn't even watch it much when it was on!
Morgan says
YES! I can't wait to tell James. Thank you for that, haha!
Whitney says
Wayyyy to much cheese, batman. Well the dish is amazing. Very good, tons of flavor but my friend had mentioned to me last night that she didn't read how much cheese she needed so she only purchased 3.75oz of goat cheese. She made it and it turned out perfect. I ended up doing a bit more than her but less than the recipe- at 6oz and it was way too thick and cheesy. We still ate it but next time I'll do the 3.75oz. I also sprinkled some red pepper flakes which was great! Thanks for the recipe!! 🙂
Morgan says
Glad you liked it, Whitney, and thanks for the feedback.
tara says
So this looks amazing! I want to make it for my little guys though..what's the spice like? Am thinking of perhaps halving the amount of garlic...thoughts?
Morgan says
I personally don't find it very spicy at all, but if you're worried, cutting down the garlic will be fine. Make sure you're using a very mild or sweet sausage, though, as anything spicier will really kick up the heat in the whole dish. Hope you all enjoy it!
Chris says
Awesome recipe. Instead of fresh spinach, I used a box of chopped spinach that I found in the freezer. Probably more than the recipe called for but it worked. More greens, less expensive and no waste? Works for me. But the leftover pasta tends to soak up too much of the sauce and gets mushy. So today, tried to make the sauce separately. Huge fail on my part.
Didn't realize we were out of milk. Too lazy to go to the store. Had a container of ricotta so decided to use that instead of milk. Also switched from chicken broth to water and Better Than Bullion. Way, way too salty. I think I added too much of the Better than Bullion. Either that or a salt lick fell into the pot. Another pint of ricotta made it edible. But it wasn't the same. Stupid laziness gets me every time. Lesson learned (at least until next weekend when I get the lazies again.)
Morgan says
I'm glad you enjoy the recipe, Chris! I think the frozen spinach substitution is a great one-- who doesn't love to cut a bit of cost?! I'll have to go that route next time and compare =)
I'm sorry to hear that your "lazy sauce" didn't turn out! I can completely relate-- I often try to substitute things I have at home instead of running to the store. Unfortunately, it also often doesn't work as I would hope. However, sometimes you wind up with something great! Bill Gates once said, "I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” It's so true. Us lazy people are great at finding shortcuts and coming up with new solutions for things-- hopefully the next time you have the weekend lazies, it works in your favor!!
Jessy Gothworth says
Hmm, it's Wednesday and I think it's time for a healthy red pepper vitamin C pumped recipe!
Lesley says
Wow! This dish was awesome 🙂 My super-picky son ate THREE plates of it!
leslie says
Made this recipe Sunday and there were no leftovers on Monday. Even my husband who doesn't like red peppers loved it. Great recipe. We will be putting this meal in the rotation. ☺
Morgan says
So glad to hear it, Leslie!!
Jenny says
This was unbelievably good!!!! So good and so easy.
Hillary says
I made this tonight for dinner. Amazing! Thank you so much for sharing.
Alison @SassyMomChicago says
Looks amazing! I shared your recipe in my weekly meal plan and Real Food Recipe Link Up!
http://sassymomsinthecity.com/real-food-recipe-round-up-weekly-meal-plan-december-22nd/
Ali says
I know you said any pasta would work but wondered if you would recommend using a cheese filled tortellini?
Morgan says
I've never tried using tortellini for this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work!
Megan says
I agree with the other comment about the goat cheese being waaaaay to much. I couldn't really taste any of the roasted red peppers because the goat cheese was so very overwhelming. I used spicy Italian sausage, so that saved the dish. Otherwise, the only flavor would have been GOAT CHEESE. Maybe it's just the brand I used?
Emily says
Oh. My. GOSH! My fiance is in California for the next three months and I vowed not to let myself eat chicken breasts and steamed broccoli every night just because they are easy and I'm only cooking for one. This recipe is absolutely incredible. I want to shout it from the rooftops! In fact, I think all of my meals this week I found on your blog. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!
Natalie says
Do you have to slice the sausage prior to browning??? How did you prepare it?
Morgan says
No, you need to remove the casings (the first step of the recipe explains how to do this if you aren't sure). Then you will have the ground meat mixture, just like when you use ground beef. Add it to the pan and break it apart in the exact same way that you do when you use other ground meats, and you'll be good =)
Lynn says
I have the hardest time getting sauce to thicken! I've attempted about 5 different recipes and every time my sauce ends up a soupy, runny mess. I boiled and simmered according to the recipe and honestly don't know what I've done wrong. Any advice?
Morgan says
Hi Lynn, I'd assume that what you are describing as a simmer is a lower temperature than what the recipes are asking for? Or perhaps you are overly generous with the liquid ingredients (for example, with this recipe, were you sure to drain the roasted red pepper jar before blending)? Aside from that I really can't imagine what a consistent issue with sauces could be. However, with any recipe, if you find that your sauces are too thin, try mixing in a cornstarch slurry and that will thicken it up for you!!
Jennifer says
I found that my sauce failures were due to using skim milk. It's too thin to make a good sauce or gravy. Kicked it up to 2% and it solved the problem. Hope this helps.
maria says
Dumb question: when you say 12 oz of pasta, is that by volume (1 1/2 cups of pasta) or is that by weight?
Morgan says
12 oz by weight, not a dumb question!
Melissa says
Hello, making this now with Tofurkey sausage and reducing the portion of goat cheese. It smells great so far! Question about using 12 ounces of pasta- I have only been able to find 16 oz boxes of pasta. How do you measure out 12 ounces? Are you eye-balling it?
Thank you!
Morgan says
I have a food scale, but eyeballing it should work fine as long as you're somewhere in the ballpark =)
ellie elliott says
My friend shared this recipe on Pinterest and said I have to try it! I can't wait to make it and see how it tastes!
Kristen says
I feel like the noodles didn't cook properly according to this recipe. The came out sticky. I wonder if I cooked on high after.adding noodles instead of simmering would fix this.....
Moira says
Love this dish! Thanks for the recipe....do you think this can be frozen for future meals?
Kelly Watson says
This turned out absolutely amazing! My husband loved this dish and was absolutely stoked on it. I only made two changes to the recipe. I used a whole pound of sausage because I couldn't have just one sausage hanging around, I added red pepper flakes, and I only used 4oz of goat cheese. The recipe still turned out amazing with only half of the goat cheese, however, I would like to try it with the full 8oz sometime. This happened by silly accident on my part of only including "goat cheese" and no amount on my shopping list, but it did no harm to the dish! Thanks for posting such a wonderful recipe!
Morgan says
I'm so glad to hear it, Kelly!
TIffany says
You've done it again, Morgan! This was so great and not something I will get sick of eating all week for lunches. Please never stop with this blog!
Bradley says
Thinking this will be dinner tonight, but I don't have any red peppers. Think sundried tomatoes could be subbed?? I might just try it and see what happens!
Morgan says
I haven't tried it, but I can't see why it wouldn't work!
jenny says
We're hard to impress and this was amazing ! Thank you!
mitzi says
This recipe is awesome im making it right now, and have made it several times before love it thank you for sharing it!!!
Eleny says
I made this with gluten free pasta and unsweetened coconut milk instead of the regular milk and it turned out perfectly! I also omitted the parmesan cheese. Just a recommendation for those that cannot have gluten or cow's milk.
Emily says
Just made it now. Yummy. I used spicy chicken sausage from Whole Foods. Based on some of the recommendations, I used only 4 oz of goat cheese. I am happy I did this.
Lindsay says
I made this with gluten free pasta and it worked out amazing too! Very happy!
Alexandra says
Would this feed 5 adults?
Morgan says
I think 4 adults would be safe, I would double the recipe since it makes great leftovers anyway =)
Angela says
What kind of goat cheese should I use? I've never bought goat cheese before so I don't really know what to look for; any suggestions on a good brand? Also, any idea how many full red peppers I would need to equal the amount in one 16 oz. jar. I'd really rather roast them myself since jarred ones seem pretty expensive.
Christie says
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I modified though and added 5 oz of feta as opposed to the goat cheese and it still tasted amazing. I'm glad I read the comments as I only have skim milk on hand so I bought 2% which worked very well in the sauce.
Meredith says
Holy crap. I am not a frequent blog commenter but I just had to come say WOW to this recipe! I snuck some cherry tomatoes into the red pepper puree (it's summer!) and our two-person household polished off the whole pot for dinner & lunch the next day. I may or may not have also dug into it cold as a midnight snack. So. Good. Y'all.
Blanca says
Oh wow! Just made this and its sooooo good. Lol hubby hasn't tried it yet but am sure he will love it. Thanks for sharing!
Courtney says
Made this Friday night and my boyfriend and I both agreed it was like a grown-up version of hamburger helper. It was delicious though! I only used half the amount of goat cheese and just added a little extra parm- turned out wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!
Annabelle says
Delicious! It's rich and creamy, and super tasty with extra ground black pepper. It was easy to make and minimal clean up.
Tara says
Made this twice (according to recipe), delicious both times. I did roast my own red peppers...that's the only change. Big hit with the family.
Geiyser says
I made this for lunch today. Man oh man was it scrumptious. I used 6 Oz of the goat cheese after reading some reviews, but using the other 2 Oz wouldn't have hurt it a bit. My pasta was penne. Sorry for the spelling of that. Will definately make again for sure.
Lindsay says
I made this exactly as instructed in the recipe and it was absolutely delicious! My husband and I loved it. The goat cheese-parmesan-roasted red pepper combo was awesome. I do have a question: while this dish already has a good amount of veggies in it, could you recommend a vegetable or two that might taste good with this flavor combo? We've been trying to get more veggies in our diet. Thank you for an excellent recipe!!
Bethany says
Zucchini would be good, or roasted cherry tomatoes.
Eden Passante says
One pot meals are amazing! So easy for week night dinners and this one looks unbelievable!
Lana says
Just found this yummy looking recipe on pintrest. What type of pasta did you use in the picture in pintrest.
Thanks
Nicole Madison says
I usually never have luck with recipes I find on Pinterest but this was a keeper. I used ground dark meat turkey and some dried basil and oregano. Also, used half the goat cheese but still so tasty. Thank you!
Kristen says
Followed Nicole and used basil and oregano, along with garlic and onion powders. Added cream cheese instead of goat. Deglazed browned sausage pan with a deep red wine and burned almost all off.
Megan says
This is one of my favorite pasta dish recipes. It is my meal of choice when I'm carbo-loading before a big race. It's also one of the easy recipes I turn to when making care package meals for family/friends. It is super simple to turn this into a vegetarian meal option too.
Things I love: It's one pot; easy clean up. The pureed roasted red pepper adds some complexity to the sauce rather than just being a white cream based alfredo sauce. This recipe had me at "goat cheese".
Updates/Suggestions:
I use a full 16 oz box of Casarecce pasta. The sauce clings beautifully to it. I had never seen this pasta before, but stumbled upon it at Whole Foods.
Since I use 4 oz more pasta than the recipe suggests I adjusted the amounts of a few ingredients:
I definitely add the extra milk and chicken broth after the pasta is fully cooked (sometimes even more than 1/4 cup each) until it seems like there is enough liquid to balance out the spinach and cheese that will be added..
Personally, I like veggies and have been using a 5 oz bag of spinach. Making this again tonight I think I'll bump it up to 10 oz.
I'm not a big fan of sausage, so just the 3/4 lb is enough or me, but my husband (the meat lover) says it could use more.
The first time we made it, we accidentally got a 4 oz log of goat cheese. This ended up being a blessing in disguise. After using the full 8 oz the second time we made it we agreed, like others have said, 8 oz is WAY too much. Since then I've stuck with the 4oz.
IF there are leftovers, I add a little milk to the pasta before heating it up. Stirring it in once it's warm helps to loosen the sauce back up.
Molly says
Made this with ricotta instead of goat cheese and it was delicious. I’ll definitely be making it again.
Narintorn Narisaranukul says
Can you substitute goat cheese with a different cheese?
Jennifer says
I've used cream cheese in place of the goat cheese and loved it
Erinn says
Made this tonight! We loved it! I used frozen spinach as that’s what I had on hand and it turned out beautifully! Spicy Italian sausage with the garlic and I tossed in an onion because mmm onions make everything that much better. Some spring onions and some Parmesan on top. We are foodies and this is a great addition to our repertoire! Thanks so much...it is full of flavour and complexity! Can’t wait to try out more of your recipes!
Rachel says
My hard to please husband said it was the best thing I have made this year! Delicious!
Donna Gardner says
I made this tonight and tweaked it a little.I used sundries tomatoes that’s all I had on hand and add it to the sauce.Also didn’t have goat cheese only grated Parmesan and that worked nicely.Great recipe, would absolutely make it again.Thanks for sharing!
Kristie says
Do you think this dish would freeze OK?
Rhonda says
This one was a hit with my husband and me! I added Cremini mushrooms, red pepper flakes, and it was delicious indeed!
Jane says
Loved this! I made it for dinner tonight and it was a big hit! The roasted red pepper-based sauce was fresh and delicious — especially with the creamy addition of goat cheese. I used whole wheat pasta and wasn’t sure it would soften adequately without boiling separately, but it did. I stuck the leftovers in the freezer and I predict it will be even better the second time. Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe.
Jennifer says
We LOVE this recipe. I've made it several times. It's fabulous as written but totally flexible, too. I roast my own peppers for the sauce, generally 6 depending on their size. I increase the garlic because I've never found a recipe that calls for too much garlic! I've used frozen spinach (150 g) in lieu of fresh, cream cheese in place of the goat cheese, and we usually use a cheese filled tortellini for the pasta. I usually add a small diced onion and use skim milk as that's what we have on hand. Just ordered the ingredients so we can have it again this week.
Jennifer says
We still make this recipe on a regular basis. I’ll often double the sausage and freeze 1/2 of it. I also freeze the red pepper sauce. It comes together REALLY quick pulling items from the freezer. I even use milk from the freezer that I’d frozen because it was at its expiry date.
Had to make it once without the cream or goat cheese because I was surprised to find I didn’t have any in the fridge. I just increased the parm cheese and it was just as good. I expected we’d really miss the extra cheese and although it’s better with, it’s fine without too.
I feel like this is a can’t-go-wrong recipe, it’s so good.
Bethany says
I was on the hunt for a recipe with sausage, spinach, roasted red peppers, and a creamy sauce. I came across some others, but this one was *exactly* what I was looking for. It was a hit for Father's Day! Sooooooo good, and so easy to put together!
Brandi says
I've made this twice now and it's a new favorite! So yummy and makes enough for a good portion of leftovers which might even be better than when it's fresh. I was able to find Italian sausage not in a casing at Walmart so one less step!
michelle says
Can the goat cheese be substituted for feta cheese or some other kind of cheese? Thank you
Morgan says
The goat cheese can be substituted for cream cheese 🙂 It needs to be creamy and meltable.
Maryland says
I made this last night with jarred sauce since I forgot to pick up the red peppers. It was great! But the red pepper version is super tasty!!
alizabeth says
I make this all the time and its such a great recipe. I had a 6 course dinner party I and I adapted this recipe for easy serving. I omitted the broth and pasta and only used a little bit of milk to simmer and reduce the sausage and bell peppers down to a paste. added spinach and goat cheese and piped the mixture into manicotti shells and finished in the oven. It was everyone's favorite part of the meal! thank you!
Angela Richter says
This recipe is so delicious and easy! It is very satisfying and not your run of the mill pasta dish. Loved it! I am adding it into the rotation for sure!
Damon says
This is fantastic, just want to let others know how I adjust it. Of course upsizing to 1lb of pasta and whatever size italian chicken or turkey sausage is available. With poultry sausage, I brown the sausage with some crushed red pepper to add some spice to balance the creaminess then remove it. I then brown a diced small onion
in some oil and just when it is about to finish, add granulated onion and garlic to deepen the flavor a bit since the pasta will be reduced anyway. Then I add the pasta, broth, and whatever dairy I have in hand, adjusting the ratio depending on what I have available.
I add back in the sausage a couple minutes before the pasta seems ready, and substitute arugula for the spinach just for that little bit of peppery bite.
Really great recipe and it is one we will make more often!
Christine Kelly says
I made this recipe tonight and it was very good. I followed the recipe exactly. I did not find it too cheesy as some of the other reviews indicated. I will definitely make this recipe again.
megan says
just wanted to let you know this was the first dish i ever made my now husband when we were dating, and it is his favorite dish i make. i also suspect it was one of many factors in his decision to propose!
Vikki N says
Made this tonight.. It tastes great. I used Jimmy Dean hot sausage, added a little italian sesoning. I also used frozen, chopped spinach instead of fresh and only used about a 1/2 lb of pasta so it wasn’t so dry.. Tastes great. Some people said they couldn’t find roasted red pepper.. It’s by the pickles and olives in the grocery store
Ashleigh says
Holy moley. This is hands-down one of the best simple pasta recipes I've had in a long time, and the fact that it's one-pot makes it even better! I'm sitting here after having made it, waiting for my husband and little one to get home from an errand, and I'm literally eating forkful after forkful from the pot because it's SO good. I didn't have enough goat cheese (maybe an ounce?), so I added some cheddar instead (just eye-balled it), and even then, the goat cheese flavor is coming through beautifully! I think next time I would probably do just 2oz of goat cheese and keep my cheddar substitution. But anyhow, it's just such a delightful dish. Great size for limited leftovers (because pasta leftovers can sometimes get mushy) and the perfect simple dish for hosting. 10/10 would recommend and will make again. YUM.
Morgan says
That's awesome to hear Ashleigh!! Thank you!
Greg says
Simple but delicious. Swapped feta for the goat cheese because we hate anything from the goat. 🙂 Really simple but effective recipe.
Jill says
This is an easy, delicious standby for our family. I didn’t have roasted red pepper when I made it today… and subbed tomato sauce! It was equally wonderful.