Zesty Penne, Sausage and Peppers

photo by:kraft

This spicy, creamy plate of pasta perfection rivals Italian restaurant fare—and comes together in 30 minutes. Talk about quick service!

time

prep:

30 min

total:

30 min

servings

total:

4 servings

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What You Need

cups penne pasta, uncooked

lb. Italian sausage

each green and red pepper, cut into thin strips

jar (26 oz.) spaghetti sauce

tsp. fennel seed

Dash crushed red pepper

oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed

1/4

cup KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Make It

COOK pasta as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, crumble sausage into large skillet; cook and stir on medium heat 8 min. or until done. Drain. Add peppers; cook and stir 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Stir in next 3 ingredients; cook 5 min. or until heated through. Add cream cheese; cook 2 min. or until melted, stirring frequently.

DRAIN pasta. Add to sausage mixture; mix lightly. Top with Parmesan.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise

You'll know it's a special occasion when you get to enjoy a serving of this easy-to-prepare meal!

Variation

Prepare using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese or 1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) PHILADELPHIA 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese.

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a cook

posted:8/15/2010

This recipe is easy and a crowd pleaser. Totally give it a try!

brinkman17

posted:7/17/2010

Excellent recipe! I am a very picky eater and loved this, as did my husband. I modified the recipe a little. I used pesto instead of a red sauce. I also put in pepper and onion flakes instead of fresh peppers and onions. This was great. I will make it again, and again.

mymarchcuties

posted:4/14/2010

I loved this recipe! I cut up the peppers really tiny so my kids did not know they were eating them and I added onions which made it really yummy! My husband thinks it would taste better with link sausage instead of ground sausage, but I don't think that my kids would have eaten it if they did not think they were eating hamburger.

a cook

posted:3/23/2010

Our family liked this a lot. I had never put cream cheese in a skillet meal. It was tasty! I like the idea of baking it. Crushed tomatoes in place of some of the sauce would be good, too.

Abbyhenson

posted:3/22/2010

I loved this pasta! I used mild Italian sausage, Ragu sauce, McCormick spicy seasoning & 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese (mixed in). I made it ahead of time and then baked in the oven - 350 - 20 min covered; Sprinkled with Parmesan & cooked additional 10 min uncovered. Next time I would add mushrooms... great mix of flavors!!