I can never get tired of pasta dishes and this Creamy Italian Sausage Rigatoni might be my favorite pasta dish yet, seriously! Can be prepped and cooked within 1 hour, can't beat it.
Total Time: 50 minutes Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 35 mins Servings: 4
RECIPE INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO
Creamy Italian Sausage Rigatoni
Ingredients
1 Pound Rigatoni Pasta
2 Tablespoons Neutral Cooking Oil
1 Pound Italian Sausage
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Shallot, diced
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
½ Cup Sun-dried Tomatoes
½ Cup Chicken Stock
I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base ( ½ Teaspoon BTB + ½ Cup Hot Water)
3 Cups Heavy Cream
½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt, or to taste
2 Teaspoons Black Pepper, or to taste
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper, to taste
¼ Cup Pasta Water, from cooked pasta
½ Cup Parmigiano Reggiano, shredded
Recommended Equipment
12-inch Skillet
Instructions
1. Cook Rigatoni Pasta according to packaging. I recommend boiling 1 Pound of Pasta in 4 Quarts of Water with 2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt until Al-Dente (about 8-10 minutes). Save some of the pasta water that was used to boil the pasta for later steps.
2. In a skillet on medium heat, add in 1-2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Once the oil is hot, remove the sausage from the casing and add the sausage to the skillet. Break the sausage into crumbles and cook for about 5 minutes or until browned and cooked. Once done cooking, remove from the skillet and set aside.
3. For our sauce, in the same skillet that was used to cook our sausage, reduce the heat to medium-low and add in butter. Once butter is melted, add in minced shallots with a pinch of salt and cook for 1 minute. Next, add in minced garlic, tomato paste, and sundried tomatoes and cook for an additional 1 minute.
4. Deglaze the skillet with chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Begin to scrape up the bits at the bottom of the skillet.
5. Add in heavy cream and mix in with ingredients well. Continuously stir sauce and bring sauce to a low simmer. Once the sauce is simmering, add in salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper then mix in well.
6. While the sauce is simmering, add in ¼ cup of reserved pasta water from the cooked pasta, mix in well, and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes to reduce and thicken.
7. After the sauce has thickened, remove the sauce from the heat and add in spinach. Mix in for about 2 minutes or until the spinach wilts.
8. Let the sauce cool for about 1-2 minutes to continue to thicken. Next, mix in shredded Parmigiano Reggiano. Then, mix in the cooked sausage, followed by the cooked pasta. Sprinkle on Italian parsley and additional parmesan cheese if you would like. Enjoy!