This creamy sausage and pepper pasta is the perfect weeknight dinner, made in under 30 minutes all in one skillet!
Back to school routines, and my new weeknight fav!
We are thoroughly enjoying our little mini Thanksgiving break, with lots of hiking, enjoying amazing food, and a quiet lull in activities. It will all start back up again on Monday, and I’m already planning out some nourishing, but faster prep dinners to ease us back into everyone’s routines. We have just 4 weeks until we get an extended break, and my goal is to keep everyone healthy and nourished! I want to be able to enjoy all the holiday fun that is to come (and hopefully some snow!)!
One skillet wonder!
This little creamy sausage skillet pasta was one of those recipes that was created out of an almost bare fridge. It wasn’t quite grocery day, but I had a couple peppers left, and a half box of some sad baby spinach that needed to be used ASAP. It was also one of those nights that we were all in different directions after school. Which meant I needed something fast to make, filling for super hungry kids, and nourishing to keep everyone sustained. I packed it out with some bone broth I had just strained from our weekly whole chicken, and in just one skillet it was all done!
The Method :: The veggies for the sausage and pepper pasta
To get started, you’ll need to get your veggies chopped, and then you can get them into the skillet to soften. If you’re kids are pepper-hesitant, you can use carrot for one of the peppers. The veggies can be swapped around a bit here. I have even added chopped cauliflower to get more mineral rich veg in there.
The Method :: The sausage
After the veggies soften, you’re ready to add the protein. For the sausage in this skillet, I often just season our grassfed ground beef from our freezer stash since we get a grassfed cow each year. You can use my sausage season blend for ground beef, pork, or turkey! Or you can use store bought ground sausage of your choice. Just watch the ingredients! Once your veggies have softened, add the sausage to cook completely.
The Method :: The liquid for the sausage and pepper pasta
Next, let’s add the liquid for the pasta to cook in. One of my favorite ways to help families that aren’t soup eaters to get bone broth into their meals is to cook favorites into the broth. Pasta and rice are typically on kids’ top 10 lists, so skillets like this are great for swapping water for nutrient packed bone broth! I made ours this weekend with the bone broth I made from our Thanksgiving turkey, and just look at all of that gelatin going into our meal! Once the sausage has browned, you’ll add some flour to help with thickening the sauce. Then add some bone broth as well as coconut milk or milk to add creaminess.
The Method :: Finishing the sausage and pepper skillet
Once you add the bone broth and milk, you can add the pasta you want to use. The pasta will simmer right there in the skillet to cook! Add in the spinach to wilt right at the end, and start to finish you should be done in under 30 minutes!
Servings and leftovers notes
If you follow my #rgnschoollunch posts on Instagram, you’ve seen leftovers for this skillet sausage and pepper pasta! The girls typically have to take turns on who gets to take it, least there be fighting! As written, this skillet feeds my family of 5 for ONE meal. If you want leftovers and have a crew like mine, I’d suggest doubling it. You can bust out that thermos in the morning, and the kids can take a hot lunch to school to warm them up after a snowy recess!
One Skillet Creamy Sausage & Pepper Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter to cook in or olive oil, avocado oil, tallow, lard
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 bell peppers diced. I like to use 2 different colors
- 1 lb ground sausage of choice See below for choices.
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp coconut aminos
- 2 tsp King Arthur Gluten Free Flour Blend most GF Flour blends will work here
- 3 cups total of bone broth and coconut milk See below for tips on this
- 3 cups Gluten Free Pasta of choice I used Jovial Bow Tie Pasta
- 2-3 cups baby spinach chopped small
- Sea salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, and add the onion and bell pepper. Saute until soft and sweet, and a little golden, about 7 minutes or so.
- Add the ground sausage, and cook until browned, breaking it up along the way.
- Add the garlic, mustard, & coconut aminos, and stir to combine.
- Add the flour and stir to coat the veggies.
- Pour in the coconut milk and bone broth, and stir to combine, and then add the pasta. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the pasta is al dente.
- Turn the heat off, and stir in the baby spinach to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to your taste. Be mindful that every sausage is seasoned differently, so saltiness will vary.
Notes
- For the sausage, I often just season our grassfed ground beef from our freezer stash since we get a grassfed cow each year, and have a lot of it. You can use my sausage season blend for ground beef, pork, or turkey! Or you can use store bought ground sausage of your choice. Just watch the ingredients!
- For the liquid, start with 2 cups coconut milk and 1 cup bone broth. If your kids like bone broth, you can do 2 cups bone broth, and 1 cup coconut milk. If you tolerate dairy, you can use milk or cream.
Our family really enjoyed this dish!
My kids raved about how good this was! We all liked it and I loved that all the ingredients are ones that I usually have on hand. A new favorite for sure!
So glad to hear that Missy! Thank you for coming back to let us know!