Pork Sausage Penne in a Creamy Sauce
with Bell Pepper & Lemon
- Milk
- Wheat
: Are you the type of person who only goes to sporting events for that huge Italian sausage and pepper hoagie? We’re right there with you. This week, our chefs took the beloved dish from stadium fare to elegant weeknight dinner with a few delicious twists. First, they dropped the bready bun and replaced it with al dente penne, along with an ultra-creamy sauce studded with crispy bits of pork sausage and sweet sautéed bell pepper. Psst—did we mention there’s Parmesan cheese in the sauce and sprinkled on top? Yeah, it’s safe to say this dish knocks it out of the park.
Ingredients
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
½ unit
Crushed Tomatoes
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
2 unit
Scallions
1 unit
Bell Pepper
9 ounce
Italian Pork Sausage
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce.
Halve, core, and thinly slice bell pepper into strips. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Zest and quarter lemon.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and scallion whites; cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Remove sausage* from casing if necessary; discard casing. Add to pan; cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. If you like things spicy, stir in a pinch of chili flakes and cook until fragrant, 15 seconds. TIP: If there’s excess grease in your pan, carefully pour it out.
Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.
Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
Add half the tomatoes (all for 4 servings) to pan with sausage mixture and cook until softened, 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.
Stir in cream cheese, sour cream, half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving), ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water, and 1 TBSP butter until thoroughly combined. (For 4, use ⅓ cup reserved pasta cooking water and 2 TBSP butter.)
Season with salt, pepper, and lemon zest to taste. Add drained penne and toss to coat. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with scallion greens, remaining Parmesan, and a pinch of chili flakes if desired. Serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the creamy sauce and sausage combo, with lemon adding a nice touch; some found it bland and wanted more seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to make, though a few found the instructions slightly confusing.
- Suggestions: Consider adding extra herbs, garlic, or vegetables for more depth; adjust spice level to taste with chili flakes.
- Leftovers: Reheats well for lunch the next day, though some found it less flavorful as leftovers.
- Portions: Generous servings that often fed more than expected; a few wanted more sauce or pasta.
Reviews from our home cooks
I, personally, do not like Italian sausage because of the fennel seasoning. This dish? THE BOMB! The lemon perfectly complements the fennel and hearty tomato. The cream cheese and sour cream make such a beautiful sauce to marry everything together. This is my new favorite HF meal.
My husband and I both loved this recipe. I put all of the parmesan in the creamy tomato sauce. This recipe has great flavor. It is one of our favorites and one that I can easily make after working a long day.
The pork had good flavor to it. Appreciated making my own sauce in this recipe, you can taste the difference compared to using a jar.
YUMMMMMYYYYY !! I added some pepper from my garden for extra veggies. sooo good. love the sauce! love the sausage! great balance!!
I like the recipe concept and my husband liked the taste. However, the timing was off for me with the cooking, insufficient vegetables (I added another pepper from my own supply, and additionally, a tomato with the peppers. The pasta way overpowered the dish and was out of balance with the sauce, vegetables and meat. I am not keen on the "creamy" ingredients which subdue the flavor. The butter contributes only fat and calories but not flavor. I am not a fan of sour cream and cream cheese in this dish. I added some Mrs Dash Italian Medley for flavor on my plate.
This was so delicious!! I would have never put lemon with these flavors, but oh boy!!! It made the dish! So happy I tried this one.
I actually took this recipe and added some penne I had in the pantry, which spread out the meal more- I love that! Anyways, it was tasty and filling, and I really love the Italian sausage. But the instructions were a bit confusing regarding the lemons and zest. I didn't see the "to taste" for the zest until after I dumped it all in (also how much was I supposed to zest in the first place was confusing). & The image when it said to quarter the lemon showed lemons that were cut across halfway each time (like +, overall), then when serving the lemons, it said and showed standard lemon wedges. Those are both minor things but it did confuse me.
This was a really good dish. I thought the red bell pepper and lemon would be overwhelming, but it was the perfect balance
Amazing flavor! The little bit of lemon mixed with a little bit of spice was great!
I love pasta, so this is a great meal. I went just a little too far with the pepper flakes, but it still tasted great overall.
