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by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated 17 Comments
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While dining at the Olive Garden recently, I noticed a menu item was now on their menu that they brought back due to popular demand. Olive Garden Sausage and Peppers Rustica is a fabulous dish to make, it easy to prepare, and makes an inexpensive and filling dinner.
Table of Contents
Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Olive Garden Grilled Sausage and Peppers Rustica combines Italian sausage, fresh mozzarella cheese, and peppers to make a flavorful dish. I love that there is a hint of spice which really brings out the flavor of Italian sausage.
If you want to be low carb or gluten-free, you can take a pass on the pasta. It makes a hearty dinner all by itself.
Sausage and Peppers Rustica Ingredients
Here’s a list of what you need:
- Italian Sausage
- Bell peppers (red, green, yellow, or orange)
- Onion
- Marinara sauce
- Red pepper flakes
- Salt
- Olive oil
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Penne pasta
Ingredient Notes
Olive Garden makes the dish with penne pasta. If you don’t happen to have any of this on hand, I think any pasta that you have will do. I have made it with spiral pasta.
I used red and yellow bell peppers. This is primarily due to the fact I hate, loathe, green bell peppers. Please feel free to use any type of bell pepper that you and your family enjoy.
If you wanted to make this recipe low carb you could use some of the low carb pasta.
You can use whole wheat pasta instead of regular pasta.
How to Make Sausage and Peppers Pasta
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions and place it in a large serving dish.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
- Slice the sausage and place the slices in the skillet.
- Cook the sausage until browned then remove the sausage from the pan.
- Add olive oil to the skillet.
- Add peppers, onions, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Cook the vegetables until tender.
- Add browned sausage and red pepper flakes. Stir thoroughly.
- Add the marinara sauce and heat well.
- Add shredded mozzarella cheese and stir until it is melted.
- Pour the mixture over the pasta.
- Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top if desired.
What to Serve with Sausage and Peppers Pasta
Make your meal complete with everything from drinks to dessert!
Olive Garden co*cktails
- Berry Sangria
- Blue Hawaiian
- Italian Margarita
- Watermelon Sangria
Olive Garden Soups and Starters
- Breadsticks
- Garden Salad
- Fried Mozzarella
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Minestrone Soup
- Zuppa Toscana
Olive Garden Desserts
- Cookie Dough Cheesecake
- Olive Garden Tiramisu
- Pumpkin Cheesecake
Check out more of my easy Italian recipes and the best Olive Garden recipes here on CopyKat!
Olive Garden Grilled Sausage and Peppers Rustica
TheOlive Garden Grilled Sausage and Peppers Rustica is so good! When it was removed from the menu it was brought back due to popular demand.Now you can make it at home.
5 from 9 votes
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Olive Garden Recipes, Sausage and Peppers Rustica
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 968kcal
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne pasta
- 1 pound Italian Sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided use
- 2 sliced bell peppers you can use red, green, yellow, or orange
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 26 ounces marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese plus more for garnish if desired
Instructions
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Place the cooked pasta in a large serving dish.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Slice the sausage into bite-size pieces and place them in the skillet.
Cook the sausage until browned then remove the sausage from pan and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet.
Add sliced peppers, onions, and salt. Stir to combine.
Cook until the onions are transparent and the peppers have cooked until tender.
Add browned sausage to pan and red pepper flakes and stir thoroughly.
If you want this to be spicy, add more red pepper flakes, about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon depending on how spicy you want.
Add the marinara sauce to skillet and heat well.
Add ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese and stir until the cheese is melted.
Pour the mixture over the cooked pasta.
Sprinkle a little shredded mozzarella cheese on top if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 968kcal | Carbohydrates: 102g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 92mg | Sodium: 2141mg | Potassium: 1320mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 1103IU | Vitamin C: 66mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 5mg
About Stephanie Manley
I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.
Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.
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Reader Interactions
Comments
Stephanie
Thank you for this, it isn’t what I have been served there. Much appreciated.
Reply
See AlsoBaked Stuffed Clams RecipeRobina
My hubby loves this except for I use angel hair pasta instead of penne. I like it either way.Reply
Stephanie
I know Angel hair pasta is super quick to cook!
Reply
This sounds like a great recipe to try. Thanks for sharing this..
Simon
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Rileysmom
I made this dish for the 1st time yesterday. I used my home made fusilli (do you have the KitchenAid pasta extruder attachment? It’s makes pasta making so easy!).
My husband loved it! The sauce with the addition of peppers and onions, and a few red pepper flakes adds so much! Another new favorite! Thank you, Stephanie!Reply
Linda S
I made this dish last night and found it to be very delicious and actually pretty easy to prepare. I’ve always loved the Sausage and Peppers Rustica at The Olive Garden and this is definitely very close to their recipe. I did end up adding a little white wine and a fresh minced clove of garlic and I used 1/2 tsp. of the red pepper flakes because I like a little kick. Other than that, I followed the recipe to a T. I will definitely make this again!
Reply
stephaniemanley
Linda S, love what you did to the recipe. When I recreate recipes I just try to make them as close as I can to the restaurant. I totally love the white wine and the fresh minced garlic!
Reply
CapeCoffee
Made Olive Garden Grilled Sausage and Pepper Rustica for supper tonight. Added lots of garlic, crushed fennel, onion powder, Italian spices, wine, and small can of tomato sauce. Used only half the pasta. Rockin’ AWESOME flavor. Hubby ate three helpings and told me to never lose that recipe.
Reply
liz
Stephanie Manley – You are a Godsend. Incredibly quick and easy recipes that look
too good to be true. I had a chance to view some of your cooking videos and I want to make ALL of them. Thanks for timesaving yet delicious ideas!!Reply
Stephanie Manley
Liz, thank you for your kind words. I hope you try out some recipes, and let me know if there is something you are looking for!
Reply
Laura
It’s a seasonal dish that Olive Garden brings back every year, but you can get it any time if you ask. It’s my husband’s favorite and he’s going to be THRILLED when I make this!
Reply
Stephanie Manley
I love being able to make those seasonal dishes any time of year.
Reply
Lurl
I made this recipe but used Barilla low carb spaghetti. Added a pound of mushrooms and a can of black olives.Great taste and liked by all.
Reply
Stephanie
Great idea on the low carb spaghetti. Love the addition of mushrooms and black olives. Course, I think mushrooms go well with most everything!
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Paul Vogel
Thanks for this recipe. I made it tonight with the green peppers and it came out great. Haven’t seen this dish at Olive Garden in years and thought it was discontinued. I got this dish on most visits before they took it off the menu. We have leftovers for tomorrow.
Stephanie Manley
Luri, next time I make, I will make it your way!
Reply
renee
looks awesome
Reply