Sausage and Pepper Pasta

Browned pork sausage meat, sweet peppers and fennel seeds in a rich tomato sauce tossed through rigatoni.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 20 min
Total: 30 minutes
Vegetarian
❌
Nuts
❌
Serves
4 people
Difficulty
Easy

Ingredients

  • 350g dried rigatoni
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 good-quality pork sausages, skins removed
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 2 peppers (1 red, 1 yellow), sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • Small handful fresh basil leaves
  • Salt and black pepper to taste
  • Grated Cheddar or vegetarian hard cheese, to serve

Method

  1. Cook the rigatoni in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions. Reserve a mugful of cooking water, then drain.

  2. Heat the oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sausage meat, breaking it into chunks, and fry for 6 minutes until golden.

  3. Add the onion and peppers and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic and fennel seeds for 1 minute.

  4. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, season and simmer for 6 minutes.

  5. Toss the pasta through the sauce with a splash of cooking water until glossy. Tear over the basil and serve with cheese.