Description
Creamy Sausage Rigatoni with browned sausage, tomato sauce, heavy cream, and parmigiano reggiano.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ lb sweet Italian sausage (about 2 links), casings removed
- 1 medium shallot, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup passata
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¾ cup parmigiano reggiano, finely grated, plus more for serving
- Reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and heavily salt it. Cook 8 oz rigatoni until just shy of al dente. Reserve ¾ cup pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add ½ pound sweet Italian sausage, breaking it into bite-sized pieces. Cook for 7-9 minutes until deeply browned with crispy bits. Transfer the sausage to a plate, leaving about 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat in the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the diced shallot and cook for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it darkens to a deep brick red color.
- Pour in 1 cup passata. Stir in ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, and the ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and stir in ¾ cup heavy cream until smooth. Return the browned sausage to the skillet.
- Add the cooked rigatoni, ¾ cup grated parmigiano reggiano, and about ½ cup reserved pasta water. Toss until the cheese melts and the sauce becomes silky and coats the pasta, adding more pasta water as needed.
- Serve immediately with more grated parmigiano reggiano!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stovetop