1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Break sausage into small pieces. Finely chop bell peppers.

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over low heat. Add garlic and cook, turning frequently, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Discard garlic. Increase heat to high. Add peppers and sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all is lightly crisped and browned, about 10 minutes.

3. Cook pasta until al dente, about 12 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup cooking water, then drain. Return pasta to pot and stir in sausage and peppers. Add reserved water to sausage cooking pan and stir up brown residue over low heat. Add drippings to pasta and heat together over low heat 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Season with salt to taste. Serve hot and generously grind pepper over each plateful.

Variation for Orechiette with Sausage and Sweet Red Peppers

Use a mixture of sweet and hot sausage, or all hot even if you want the biggest kick.