High-Protein Italian Drunken Noodles
Low carb, sugar-free and ready in 25 minutes — wide ribbons, browned sausage and peppers in a glossy wine-and-tomato skillet sauce
These Italian drunken noodles keep every promise on the cover: low carb, sugar-free, ready in 25 minutes — with 28g protein, 8g net carbs and 320 calories per serving. Italian sausage is browned hard in a cast-iron skillet, peppers and chunky tomatoes soften in the same pan, a splash of red wine lifts all the browned bits into a glossy sauce, and wide low-carb pappardelle ribbons are tossed through at the end, exactly like the skillet in the photo.
Per serving: 320 calories, 28g protein and 8g net carbs. Ready in 25 minutes.
Why you’ll love these drunken noodles
- 28g protein per serving for just 320 calories
- Low carb and sugar-free — exactly as promised on the cover
- On the table in a genuine 25 minutes, one skillet
- Wide, chewy ribbons that carry the sauce like real pappardelle
- Deeply browned sausage in a rich, glossy wine-tomato sauce
- Basil and Parmesan to finish — restaurant flavour, weeknight effort
Health notes
- Lupin-flour pappardelle: The ribbons in the photo are lupin-based — high in protein and fibre with a fraction of the carbs of wheat pasta.
- No-added-sugar sausage: Sausage is a classic hidden-sugar trap — check the label, or use plain ground pork with Italian seasoning.
- The wine cooks off: It reduces until almost dry, leaving depth behind, not alcohol or sugar.
- Chunky tomatoes and peppers: Real vegetables make the sauce — no jarred sweetened sauce anywhere.
- Locked from the cover: The photo supplied the title, claims, time and macros, so they are kept consistent throughout the block.
Key element — brown hard, noodles last
Press the sausage into the hot cast iron and leave it alone until a deep crust forms — that browning IS the sauce’s flavour base, and the wine deglaze lifts it off the pan. Then protect the noodles: low-carb ribbons need only a brief boil and go into the skillet for the final toss with a ladle of their cooking water, which turns the tomato-wine sauce glossy enough to coat every ribbon. Boil them to death or simmer them in the sauce and they fall apart; brief boil, quick toss, basil off the heat.
Ingredients
Skillet
- 1 lb Italian sausage, no added sugar (check the label), casings removed
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1 can (14 oz) fire-roasted chopped tomatoes, no added sugar
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp chilli flakes, plus more to taste
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Noodles and finish
- 8 oz lupin-flour pappardelle (low-carb wide ribbons)
- ½ cup torn fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
Swaps
- Chicken sausage: Lighter, still check the sugar on the label.
- No wine: Chicken stock with a squeeze of lemon for the deglaze.
- Egg-ribbon noodles: Egg-white wraps sliced in wide strips, warmed in the sauce for 1 minute.
- Extra veg: A handful of spinach wilted in at the end.
Instructions
| 1 | Boil the noodles. Cook the pappardelle in well-salted water 1 minute SHY of the packet time — low-carb pasta overcooks fast. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain. |
| 2 | Brown the sausage hard. Heat the oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage in rough chunks, press it down and leave it undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until deeply browned, then break it up and cook through. Lift it out, keeping the fat in the pan. |
| 3 | Soften the vegetables. In the same skillet, cook the pepper and onion for 4–5 minutes until softened at the edges. Add the garlic for the final 30 seconds. |
| 4 | Deglaze with wine. Pour in the wine and scrape up every browned bit from the pan. Simmer until reduced by about half, 2 minutes — this is the “drunken” part, and the alcohol cooks away. |
| 5 | Build the sauce. Add the tomatoes, Italian seasoning and chilli flakes. Simmer for 4–5 minutes until slightly thickened and glossy, like the sauce in the photo. Return the sausage and season to taste. |
| 6 | Toss and finish. Add the noodles with a ladle of pasta water and toss for 1 minute until every ribbon is coated and glossy. Off the heat, fold in the basil and Parmesan. Serve straight from the skillet. |
Pro tips
- Cast iron holds the heat for the hard sear — a thin pan steams the sausage.
- Keep the tomato chunks chunky; they should stay distinct, like the photo.
- The pasta water is liquid gold here — its starch makes the sauce cling.
- Taste before salting at the end; sausage and Parmesan bring plenty.
- Leftovers are even better the next day as the ribbons drink the sauce.
Nutrition
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Calories | 320 |
| Protein | 28g |
| Net carbohydrates | 8g |
| Total carbohydrates | 14g |
| Fiber | 6g |
| Total fat | 16g |
| Sodium | 780mg |
Per serving (4 servings), locked from the cover: 28g protein, 8g net carbs, 320 calories. Exact macros vary slightly with sausage and pasta brands.
Variations
White wine and chicken
Chicken sausage with dry white wine and a squeeze of lemon.
Spicy arrabbiata style
Double the chilli flakes and add Calabrian-style hot peppers.
Creamy drunken
A splash of cream stirred in with the Parmesan.
Veggie version
Mushrooms and zucchini ribbons instead of sausage, vegetable stock to deglaze.
Storage
| Method | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator | Up to 3 days | Airtight container; the flavours deepen overnight |
| Freezer | Sauce only, up to 2 months | Cook fresh ribbons when serving for the best texture |
| Reheat | — | Skillet with a splash of water, tossed until glossy again |
