This flavorful Sausage and Banana Pepper Rigatoni pasta dish is made with garden sweet banana peppers, cherry tomatoes, and crumbled Italian Sausage in a light and fresh sauce. For a creamy addition, it's finished with burrata for a creamy and satisfying touch.
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One thing that's been a staple in our garden, ever since we've grown one, has been banana peppers. We grow a combination of sweet and hot banana peppers. Honestly, I don't eat as many as my husband does. I'll pickle them and throw them onto sandwiches or into slow cooker dishes. But I pretty much pass on them in their raw form. When it comes to the peppers we grow in our garden, they're not the first ones I'll rush to pick.
The only thing is, they tend to grow like crazy! I don't think we've ever had a bad year for banana peppers. I usually do a lot of pickling and we'll share with family and friends. So I wanted to figure out another way to use our massive amount of peppers up and decided to whip up a rigatoni pasta dish. Not only does this pasta use banana peppers from our garden, but it also includes garden cherry tomatoes, onion, and basil, too.
Along with garden veggies and herbs, this pasta dish is made with crumbled Italian sausage for a savory, meaty addition. The cherry tomatoes are turned into a sauce with olive oil, garlic, and a touch of white wine, while softened peppers and cooked rigatoni are added back into the pan. Once the pasta is put together, it's finished with some creamy burrata cheese.
Sausage and Banana Pepper Rigatoni with Burrata
This is one of those perfect, transitional, summer-to-fall types of dishes. It brings the freshness of the garden together in a light and somewhat creamy pasta dish. I used sweet Italian sausage, but you can use spicy if you'd like. I also used sweet banana peppers, but if you're fan of the hot ones, throw them in as well. I did toss in a tiny bit of crushed red pepper though.
To start this pasta dish, we first need to cook the rigatoni. I'd recommend rigatoni, or another similar pasta, for this recipe. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Keep 1/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
Now, we're going to brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat. Once it's browned, remove it from the skillet and set aside.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and add the banana peppers. Cook them for about 3 minutes, or until they start to soften. Then, add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the white wine and bring to a simmer for about 3 minutes. Scrape up the browned bits while cooking.
Add the sausage and pasta into the pan. Then, you're going to gradually add the pasta water until your desired sauce consistency is achieved. Stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. If you'd like, toss in a little crushed red pepper, as well.
Finish off the pasta by plating it in a serving dish. Tear open burrata cheese and place it in the center of the pasta. Drizzle the pasta with olive oil, garnish with more fresh basil, and serve.
Sausage and Banana Pepper Rigatoni with Burrata
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
Ingredients
- 8 oz. rigatoni pasta
- 1/2 lb. ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1-2 sweet banana peppers sliced into rings
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsps. dry white wine
- 2 tbsps. fresh basil chopped
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 burrata cheese ball
- Optional: crushed red pepper flakes, extra basil
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta about 10 minutes, or until al dente. Set 1/4 cup pasta water aside. Then, drain pasta.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned. Remove sausage and set aside.
- Add olive oil to the skillet along with banana peppers. Cook until softened, about 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and cook about 5 minutes, or until softened. Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer, about 3 minutes. Scrape up browned bits.
- Add sausage and pasta to the skillet. Gradually add pasta water until desired consistency is reached. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Add crushed red pepper, if desired.
- Add pasta to a serving dish. Tear burrata and place in the center of the pasta. Drizzle pasta with olive oil, garnish with extra fresh basil, and serve.
If you don't have banana peppers (sweet or hot), you can use yellow bell peppers, Cubanelle peppers, or Italian sweet peppers. For a spicier kick, try pepperoncini peppers. And if you aren't a fan of burrata (what?!), sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese on top of this pasta instead.
Did you make this Sausage and Banana Pepper Rigatoni with Burrata recipe? Share it on social media using the hashtag #holokahome. Don’t forget to tag me @holokahome!
