Yes, believe your eyes; there is a rainbow on your table! It’s hearty and meaty and very, very vibrant! It’s Sweet Sausage Pasta! The orange of the caramel-noted sweet potatoes, the scarlet of the juicy and sweet red bell peppers, the yellow of the tender pasta, and the green of the fragrant basil playfully decorate this dinnertime spread. Chunks of succulent sausage mix with bright lemon flavors to really make this colorful dish a success from start to finish. And once you finish this Sweet Sausage Pasta, the next thing you’ll want to do is have some more!
Ingredients
For roasting:
- 1 pound hot or mild Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 1 pound sweet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste, divided
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1/2 red onion, slivered
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
For the pasta:
- 8 ounces rigatoni or other medium pasta shape
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely shredded
- 1 cup arugula or spinach leaves, packed
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Step 2 –Place the sausage on a large rimmed baking sheet and break it into 1-inch pieces.
Step 3 –Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1/2-inch pieces
Step 4 –Toss the potatoes with 1/2 of the olive oil, 1/2 of the dried basil, 1/2 of the kosher salt, and 1/2 of the black pepper.
Step 5 –Add the sweet potato pieces to the sausage in the pan and bake for 10 minutes.
Step 6 –While the sausage is roasting, cut the red bell pepper into 1-inch chunks.
Step 7 –Toss the red pepper with the onion, the garlic, the remaining olive oil, the remaining basil, the remaining salt, and the remaining pepper.
Step 8 –Add the bell pepper mixture to the pan with the sausage and the sweet potato, and bake until the sweet potatoes are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 10-14 minutes.
Step 9 –Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water to al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 10 –Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta well. Do not rinse the pasta.
Step 11 –Place the pasta back into the pot and add the sausage, the sweet potatoes, the red bell pepper, and any juice remaining in the pan, stirring well to combine.
Step 12 –Add 3 tablespoons of the pasta water, the parmesan, the arugula, the lemon zest, and the chili flakes and stir, adding more of the pasta water, as needed, until the sauce feels cohesive.
Step 13 –Taste for seasoning and add the salt and the pepper as needed.
Step 14 –Serve.
