If you've never tried Italian drunken noodles, you're in for a real treat tonight. This dish takes wide, silky pappardelle and tosses it with spicy Italian sausage, sweet bell peppers, and a tomato sauce that gets a little splash of white wine. It's the kind of dinner that tastes like you fussed over it for hours, even though it comes together in about 45 minutes.
Jump to:
- Why You Will Like This Recipe
- Ingredients For Italian Drunken Noodles
- Italian Drunken Noodles With Spicy Sausage And Peppers
- How To Make Italian Drunken Noodles
- Storage And Reheating
- Tips And Variations For Italian Drunken Noodles
- Italian Drunken Noodles FAQ
- Recipes You May Like
- Wrapping Up This Cozy Pasta Night
I first made this on a rainy Tuesday when Donald came home late and Alex was starving after basketball practice. I had sausage in the fridge, peppers that needed using, and half a bottle of Chardonnay from the weekend. Honestly? It turned out so good that Alex asked if we could have it again two days later. That almost never happens in our apartment.
The name comes from Thai drunken noodles, but this version leans fully Italian. Think of it as a saucy, cozy pasta night with a fun twist. If you love saucy baked pasta dishes like my Tuscan baked spaghetti, this one belongs on your dinner list too.
Why You Will Like This Recipe
- One pan sauce means less cleanup, which I'm always grateful for on a weeknight
- Ready in 45 minutes from start to finish, including prep
- The spicy sausage and sweet peppers taste amazing together
- Wide pappardelle noodles grab every bit of that rich tomato wine sauce
- It feeds four people generously, and leftovers taste even better
- No fancy ingredients, everything comes from a regular grocery store
Ingredients For Italian Drunken Noodles
Here's everything you need. I always lay it all out on the counter before I start because this recipe moves quickly once the pan is hot.
- 8 ounces pappardelle noodles, uncooked
- Olive oil
- 4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
- ½ cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided
A quick note on swaps. Mild sausage works fine if your kids don't love heat. Sarah prefers it that way, so I sometimes do half spicy and half mild. And if you can't find pappardelle, fettuccine or even wide egg noodles will do the job.
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Italian Drunken Noodles With Spicy Sausage And Peppers
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Wide, silky pappardelle tossed with spicy Italian sausage, sweet bell peppers, and a rich tomato sauce with a splash of white wine. It tastes like you fussed over it for hours, but this cozy one pan pasta comes together in about 45 minutes.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pappardelle noodles, uncooked
- Olive oil
- 4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 1 large onion, quartered and sliced thinly
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed through a garlic press
- ½ cup white wine (I used Chardonnay)
- 1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, with juice
- 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided
Instructions
- Cook the pappardelle according to the package directions, undercooking by about a minute. Drain well and keep warm.
- Set a large, heavy pan over medium high heat with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Crumble the sausage into big chunks and brown for a few moments on each side, then scoop it out with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the drippings in the pan.
- Add the sliced onion to the drippings and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring, until golden. Add a little more olive oil if the pan looks dry.
- Stir in the salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper, then add all three sliced bell peppers and cook for about 2 minutes until they soften slightly.
- Stir in the garlic. As soon as it smells amazing, pour in the white wine and let it bubble until it's almost completely reduced.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juice and return the browned sausage to the pan. Fold everything together gently and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil, then stir in the parsley and half of the basil.
- Add the cooked pappardelle to the sauce and toss gently with tongs until the noodles are coated. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
- Serve in bowls topped with the remaining basil, plus shaved parmesan if you like.
Notes
Keep the sausage in big chunks so it browns better and gives you something hearty to bite into. Don't skip the finishing olive oil, it makes the sauce silky and rich. For a milder version, use sweet Italian sausage and skip the cracked pepper. No wine? Chicken broth with a small squeeze of lemon juice works really well. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat in a skillet over medium low heat with a splash of water or broth. I don't recommend freezing, the noodles lose their texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 620
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 1450mg
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 56g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 27g
- Cholesterol: 60mg
How To Make Italian Drunken Noodles
This recipe has a few stages, but each one is simple. I'll walk you through it the same way I'd show a friend standing next to me at the stove.
Cook The Noodles First
Cook the pappardelle according to the package directions. Drain them really well and keep them warm while you work on the sauce.
I've found that slightly undercooking the noodles by a minute helps. They finish softening once they hit the warm sauce, and they don't turn mushy.
Brown The Sausage
Set a large, heavy pan over medium high heat and add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, crumble the sausage into the pan in big chunks. You want chunky pieces here, not tiny crumbles.
Let the sausage brown for a few moments on each side. Then scoop it out with a slotted spoon and set it in a small bowl. All those tasty drippings stay in the pan, and that's exactly what we want.
Cook The Onion And Peppers
Add the sliced onion to the pan with the sausage drippings. Let it cook for about 5 minutes, stirring so it doesn't burn, until it turns golden. Add a little more olive oil if the pan looks dry.
Once the onion looks golden, stir in the salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper. Then add all three sliced bell peppers and cook them for about 2 minutes until they soften slightly.
The first time I made this, I walked away to help Alex with homework and let the peppers go too long. They turned soft and lost their bite. Two minutes is really all they need.
Add The Wine And Tomatoes
Stir in the garlic. As soon as it smells amazing, pour in the white wine and let it bubble away until it's almost completely reduced. This step gives the dish its name, and it adds a depth you can't get any other way.
Next, pour in the diced tomatoes with their juice and return the browned sausage to the pan. Fold everything together gently and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes. Then turn off the heat.
The wine trick works wonders in other dishes too. It's the same idea behind my chicken marsala recipe, where wine does most of the heavy lifting in the sauce.
Finish And Toss
Drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to give the sauce a silky finish. Stir in the parsley and half of the basil.
Add the cooked pappardelle right into the sauce. Use tongs to toss everything together gently until the noodles are coated. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Serve in bowls topped with the remaining basil. Shaved parmesan on top is optional but honestly, we never skip it in our house.
Storage And Reheating
Leftovers keep beautifully, which is one more reason I love this recipe. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For reheating, I use a skillet over medium low heat with a splash of water or broth. The noodles loosen up and the sauce comes back to life. The microwave works too, just cover the bowl and heat in 30 second bursts.
I don't recommend freezing this one. The noodles turn soft and lose their nice texture. The good news is that the flavors actually deepen overnight, so day two might be the best day of all.
Tips And Variations For Italian Drunken Noodles
After making this dish more times than I can count, here's what I've learned in my Manhattan kitchen:
- Keep the sausage chunky. Big pieces give you something hearty to bite into, and they brown better too.
- Don't skip the finishing olive oil. Those last few tablespoons make the sauce silky and rich. I learned this the hard way when I skipped it once and the sauce felt thin.
- Want it milder? Use sweet Italian sausage and skip the cracked pepper. Sarah gives that version two thumbs up.
- Want it heartier? Stir in a handful of spinach at the end, or add mushrooms with the peppers.
- Craving a meatier sauce another night? My bolognese recipe scratches that same itch with ground beef instead.
- Have you ever tried fresh basil versus dried? There's no comparison here. Fresh basil at the end makes the whole dish taste bright and alive.
Italian Drunken Noodles FAQ
Why Are They Called Italian Drunken Noodles?
The name is a playful nod to Thai drunken noodles, a popular stir fry dish. This Italian spin swaps in pappardelle, Italian sausage, and white wine. The wine in the sauce is where the drunken part comes in, though most of the alcohol cooks off as it reduces.
What Can I Use Instead Of White Wine In Italian Drunken Noodles?
Chicken broth with a small squeeze of lemon juice works really well. I've done this when we were out of wine, and Donald couldn't even tell the difference. White grape juice with a splash of vinegar is another option if you cook without alcohol.
Can I Make Italian Drunken Noodles Less Spicy?
Absolutely. Swap the spicy sausage for sweet or mild Italian sausage and cut back on the black pepper. When Alex and Sarah were younger, I made it mild every single time. You still get all the rich flavor without the heat.
What Type Of Pasta Works Best For Italian Drunken Noodles?
Pappardelle is the classic choice because those wide ribbons hold onto the chunky sauce. If you can't find it, fettuccine, tagliatelle, or wide egg noodles all work. I've even used broken lasagna sheets in a pinch, and it was still delicious.
Recipes You May Like
If this dish hit the spot, here are three more family dinners from my kitchen you might enjoy:
- Creamy Cajun chicken pasta you'll love brings the same bold, spicy comfort in a creamy sauce
- Creamy spaghetti alla carbonara delight is another quick pasta night winner that feels special
- Gooey sausage pizza with cheesy goodness is perfect if your family loves Italian sausage as much as mine does
Wrapping Up This Cozy Pasta Night
Italian drunken noodles check every box for me. Browned sausage, sweet peppers, a splash of wine, and silky pappardelle all come together in one rich, cozy bowl. It's simple enough for a weeknight but special enough for company.
This one has earned a permanent spot in our dinner rotation, and I have a feeling it'll do the same in yours. Give it a try, and don't forget to save it to Pinterest so you can find it again later.
