Easy Sausage Rigatoni with Creamy Sauce
This Easy Sausage Rigatoni with Creamy Sauce is ready in just 30 minutes weeknight favorite! Savory Italian sausage is cooked to golden perfection, then tossed in a rich Parmigiano cream sauce with hints of garlic and herbs. is tossed in a rich Parmesan cream sauce with tender pasta. Comforting, simple, and full of Italian flavor—perfect for family dinners or a cozy date night!
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 448kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds mild or hot Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 small onion chopped (I used Sweet onion, or use Vidalia, white, or a shallot)
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ⅓ cup dry white wine use a wine that you would drink
- 15 oz can crushed tomatoes from a 15-ounce can
- 24 ounces tomato passata
- ½ teaspoon sea salt add more to taste
- ½ teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- crushed red pepper flakes optional (add to taste)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup cream use heavy or light cream
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- Parmigiano Reggiano grated (for serving)
Instructions
- Heat oil: Heat the oil in the skillet medium heat.
- Cook the sausage: Remove the sausage from the casing and add to the pan. Use your wooden spoon to break up the sausage and stir it.
- Cook almost all the way through: Cook until the sausage gets a little color and is no longer pink and remove with a slotted spoon to a plate.
- Add onions and garlic: Leave all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Add in the onions and begin to cook for 1-2 minutes. Add in the garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes: Stir in the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. If you like it spicy, add in some crushed red pepper. Let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally while it simmers.
- Add the cream: Add in the cream and stir to combine.
- Add sausage: Stir back in the sausage and let simmer a few minutes.
- Let simmer: Stir back in the sausage and let simmer a few minutes.
- Cook pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta until it's al dente (look at the cooking time on your pasta box/bag) and set a timer to remind yourself.
- Add spinach: When the pasta is almost ready, stir in the spinach. It takes only a minute to cook up.
- Combine pasta with the sauce: Reserve a ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water. Drain the pasta and toss with the sauce in the skillet on medium heat. If needed, add a bit of the starchy pasta water and stir to combine.
- Plate up and serve: Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese and hot pepper flakes, if you like. ENJOY! Buon appetito!
Notes
- Pasta: Use a short pasta like rigatoni, penne, or farfalle. I really like this sauce with rigatoni.
- Sausage: I was lucky to have some homemade sausage that my husband made. You could use mild or hot sausage (or even a combination of the two).
- Tomatoes: Use a all crushed tomatoes, plum tomatoes, or a combination of crushed and tomato passata like I did. The quality of the tomatoes will make a difference in the taste of the sauce.
- Cream: You could use heavy, light, half-and-half, or even coconut cream for dairy free.
- Salt: Season the sauce with a bit of sea salt. Keep in mind the sausage will be a little salty, so you may not much salt.
- Cheese: I like to use only Parmigiano-Reggiano, not Parmesan cheese. You could also use Grana Padano or pecorino cheese.
Nutrition
Calories: 448kcal | Carbohydrates: 58g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 210mg | Potassium: 220mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 583IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg