Rustic Italian Pasta

Calamarata with Italian Sausage & Roasted Peppers

Bronze-die extruded calamarata tossed with sweet Italian sausage, fire-roasted peppers, tomato sauce, and just enough pasta water to create a silky finish.

Serves 4–6 45 minutes Rustic Italian Weeknight Friendly
Printable Calamarata with Sausage and Peppers recipe card Download Printable Recipe Card

A Simple Pasta Built on Great Ingredients

Some of my favorite recipes have a story behind them, and this is one of those dishes. I originally created it for one simple reason—to convince my children that peppers could actually taste amazing.

The secret was roasting them first. Roasting transforms peppers by bringing out their natural sweetness while giving them a silky texture that melts beautifully into the sauce. Combined with Italian sausage, tomato sauce, and calamarata, it quickly became a family favorite and remains one of my go-to comfort meals.

Chef's Tip: Roast and peel the peppers ahead of time. The extra step brings out their natural sweetness and creates a smoother, richer sauce than using raw peppers.

Equipment

  • Large pot for boiling pasta
  • Large Dutch oven or sauté pan
  • Slotted spoon
  • Wooden spoon
  • Measuring cup for pasta water

Instructions

  1. Boil the water. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
  2. Brown the sausage. Cook the sausage, breaking it into bite-sized pieces until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
  3. Warm the peppers. Add the diced green peppers to the sausage drippings and cook for about one minute. Stir in the roasted red peppers.
  4. Build the sauce. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir in the tomato sauce.
  5. Return the sausage. Add the browned sausage back to the pan and simmer gently while the pasta cooks.
  6. Cook the pasta. Cook the calamarata until just shy of al dente. Reserve about one cup of pasta water before draining.
  7. Finish in the sauce. Transfer the pasta directly into the sauce and toss thoroughly.
  8. Add pasta water. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce becomes silky and lightly coats every piece of pasta.
  9. Serve. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Paul's Notes

Roast the peppers first

Roasting the peppers concentrates their sweetness and creates a smoother sauce with far more depth of flavor.

Don't waste the drippings

The rendered sausage fat becomes the flavor base for the entire sauce, so leave it in the pan.

Finish in the pan

Tossing the pasta with reserved pasta water is what transforms the tomato sauce into a glossy coating instead of a pool on the plate.

Every Ring Captures the Sauce

Calamarata's large rings catch pieces of sausage and roasted peppers inside every bite. Finishing the pasta in the sauce ensures every piece is perfectly coated before it reaches the table.

Cook with me

Want to learn this dish hands-on?

This recipe teaches several essential Italian techniques including roasting peppers, rendering sausage, balancing tomato sauce, and finishing pasta with reserved pasta water. Ask about adding it to a private cooking class in Naperville or the surrounding Chicago suburbs.

View Cooking Classes