Sausage & Rapini Pasta with Peperoncini and Pepper Spread

At Flavourfull, condiments are more than just extras — they’re often the starting point. The fridge is always evolving, stocked with spreads, sauces, and preserved ingredients from small producers. In this case, both condiments — Chuck Hughes’ Mild Pepper Spread and Terroni’s Peperoncini — come from respected Canadian producers, each with a distinct approach to bold, ingredient-driven flavour. This dish came together when the two ended up in the same pan — and turned out to be the perfect match.

Chuck Hughes’ Mild Pepper Spread brings a rich, sweet peppery flavour and smooth texture. Terroni’s Peperoncini offers a briny, vinegary heat. When used together, they create a sauce that’s punchy, balanced, and deeply flavourful — without requiring extra prep.

The rest is simple: browned crumbled sausage, rapini sautéed with lots of garlic and olive oil, a small pasta shape that holds onto the sauce — orecchiette or cappelletti work especially well, and a healthy amount of Parmesan. The key move? Adding pasta cooking water. This often-overlooked ingredient is what makes the sauce cling beautifully to every bite, giving it that glossy, cohesive finish.

This is a dinner that feels a little elevated but takes very little effort — the kind of recipe that earns its place in the weeknight rotation and leaves you looking forward to leftovers.

Sausage, Rapini & Peperoncini Pasta
Serves 4

A deeply flavourful pasta with just the right amount of heat — easily adjusted by adding more or less peperoncini to suit your taste.

Ingredients
⅓ cup olive oil, divided
1 lb sausage (chicken or Italian pork), casings removed
454g orecchiette, cappelletti or other small “cup shaped” pasta
⅓ cup chopped garlic
1 large bunch rapini (just over 1 lb), stems trimmed and chopped into ½-inch pieces
½ cup Chuck Hughes Mild Pepper Spread
3 tbsp Terroni Peperoncini
½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
Salt and pepper

Method

1. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.

2. In a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 1–2 tablespoons olive oil and the sausage. Break it into small pieces with a spoon and cook for 5–6 minutes until browned and cooked through. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil in the pan.

3. Cook pasta until al dente, reserving 2 cups of pasta water before draining.

4. Lower the heat under the skillet, add the remaining olive oil and garlic, and sauté for 1–2 minutes until softened.

5. Add the rapini, increase the heat slightly, and cook for about 5 minutes until tender. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Add the cooked pasta to the pan. Stir in the pepper spread, peperoncini, and about ½ cup pasta water, scraping up any browned bits to incorporate into the sauce.

7. Return the sausage to the pan along with the Parmesan. Toss everything together until coated and glossy. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Pro Tip: Have leftovers? Add a bit of that reserved pasta cooking water before packing it up so it will still be moist and saucy after reheating.