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A cozy and rich pasta dish featuring Italian sausage, rigatoni pasta, and a flavorful tomato-based sauce with garlic, onion, cream, and Parmesan cheese, ready in under 40 minutes.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound (450 g) Italian sausage, sweet or mild, casings removed
  • 12 ounces (340 g) rigatoni pasta
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 can (28 ounces/800 g) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or mix of dried basil, oregano, and thyme)
  • A small handful fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) heavy cream (optional)
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
  2. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente, about 11-13 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup (120 ml) pasta water, then drain and set pasta aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Add Italian sausage, breaking into small crumbles, and cook 6-8 minutes until browned and no pink remains.
  5. Push sausage to one side, add chopped onion, and cook 4-5 minutes until softened.
  6. Add minced garlic and cook about 30 seconds until fragrant.
  7. (Optional) Pulse crushed tomatoes briefly in a blender for smoother sauce.
  8. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, red pepper flakes (if using), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine.
  9. Bring sauce to a gentle simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer about 15 minutes until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.
  10. Stir in heavy cream gently (if using) and add chopped fresh basil.
  11. If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time to reach desired consistency.
  12. Add cooked rigatoni to skillet and toss gently to coat. Cook together 2-3 minutes to let pasta absorb sauce.
  13. Serve pasta on plates or in a serving dish.
  14. Sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnish with additional basil leaves.

Notes

Simmering the sauce for 15 minutes allows the tomato paste to caramelize and develop deep flavors., Saving some pasta water helps loosen the sauce and helps it cling to rigatoni ridges., Break sausage into small crumbles while browning for even flavor distribution., For a smoother sauce, pulse crushed tomatoes in a blender before cooking., Add cream gently to avoid curdling and maintain sauce silkiness., Variations include using hot sausage for more heat, substituting mushrooms for a vegetarian version, or swapping rigatoni with zucchini noodles for a low-carb option., Slow cooker method: Brown sausage, onion, and garlic; transfer to slow cooker with remaining ingredients and cook on low for 4 hours; boil pasta separately and combine before serving., Leftovers keep well refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months; reheat gently with added water or broth to loosen sauce., To avoid mushy pasta when freezing leftovers, undercook rigatoni by 1-2 minutes or freeze pasta and sauce separately.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://mamapantry.com/hearty-italian-sausage-rigatoni-pasta-recipe-easy-best-dinner-idea/