Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage, Peppers, and Escarole is a colorful, flavorful, 30-minute dish your whole family will love!
Escarole Pasta with Sausage and Peppers
This escarole pasta dish with sausage and peppers is quick and delicious, ready in less than 30 minutes making this a wonderful weeknight meal! If you’ve never cooked with escarole, you definitely need to try it. If you want to swap it for another green, try it with Swiss chard or baby spinach instead. Some other favorite Italian escarole recipes are my Pasta with Sausage, Escarole, and Beans and Chickpea Escarole Soup.
What is escarole?
Escarole is a mildly bitter, leafy green that looks like lettuce. It’s part of the chicory family, which also includes endive and radicchio. If you can’t find escarole in your grocery store, you can use spinach or Swiss chard.
Where to Buy Italian Chicken Sausage
Not all chicken sausages are alike, so it’s a good idea to know your butcher or the person making the sausage if possible. I sampled a few Italian chicken sausages from different stores before I found a favorite made with all white meat at a nearby Italian specialty store. Living in New York, I’m fortunate to have some great Italian resources nearby. If you can’t find chicken sausage, turkey sausage would also work.
Italian Chicken Sausage Pasta Variations:
- Use spinach, kale, Swiss chard, or another leafy green as an escarole substitute.
- Swap turkey sausage for the chicken sausage. If you can’t find uncooked sausage, use cooked chicken sausage and thinly slice it.
- Sub the red bell pepper for yellow or green ones or use a mix of colors.
- Add sliced mushrooms if you’d like more veggies.
- Skip the red pepper flakes if you’re not a fan of spicy foods.
- Make this dish gluten-free by using gluten-free pasta.
What You'll Need
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love:
- Spaghetti with Sautéed Chicken and Grape Tomatoes
- Baby Pasta Shells with Asparagus and Marinara Sauce
- Pasta with Butternut Squash, Spicy Sausage, and Baby Spinach
- Angel Hair Pasta with Zucchini and Tomatoes
- Orecchiette Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli
Escarole Pasta with Sausage and Peppers
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium head escarole, rinsed and torn into bite sized pieces
- 12 ounces pasta, white, whole wheat or gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 lb Italian chicken sausage, removed from casing
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- kosher salt and fresh pepper to taste
Instructions
- Rinse escarole and tear into bite sized pieces.
- Cook pasta in a large pasta pot of salted water according to package directions for al dente.
- Reserve 1 cup water before straining.
- Meanwhile, while pasta water boils, heat a large non-stick skillet on medium heat.
- Add olive oil; when hot add onions, peppers, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon and cook until golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add escarole, cover and cook 2 minutes; remove the cover, stir and cook about 3 more minutes or until wilted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked pasta, crushed red pepper flakes, reserved water and Parmigiano Reggiano, toss well and transfer to a large serving bowl.
