Creamy Sausage Rigatoni

A hearty and warming Pasta dish is just what you need when it’s cool outside. This Creamy Sausage Rigatoni hits all the flavor profiles for a warming and comforting meal with its rich and creamy sauce offering the perfect coating for big chunks of Rigatoni. Added to the dish is everyone’s favorite, Spicy Pork Sausage, which offers its own unique flavors and spices to the dish. Finish this beautiful plate of food off with a liberal grating of good quality Parmesan Cheese and you’ve got a delicious and hearty meal ready to enjoy

This dish is a simple one to make and will be ready from scratch in about 30 minutes. It’s a great midweek meal to feed a hungry family, and the quantities in our recipe will be enough to feed 4 people. The key to cooking this dish is a little bit of multi-tasking. Not too much, but you can cut down on time by cooking the Pasta while you’re making the Sauce

How to make a tasty Creamy Sausage Rigatoni

To make this dish, begin by frying off some finely diced Onions in a large saucepan with about 3 tbsp. of good quality Olive Oil. You can use any Onions you like, but White or Yellow is preferred for their sweetness and color

Cook the Onions down for about 10 minutes over a relatively low heat until they’re lovely and tender then add in the Sausage. You can use any Sausage you like, but for the best flavor we recommend using Spicy Pork Sausages. Try to get just the Sausage Meat, not the Sausages as we’ll need to break it all up to form a ground-meat like texture in the pan

If you can only get your hands on the actual Sausages, that’s totally fine too. Simply cut the meat out using a sharp knife and add them to the pan. What’s great about the Spicy Pork Sausages is that they are already loaded with lots of flavor. I personally like the ones that have a touch of Fennel in them, as it adds a subtle anise flavor to the dish

Once the Sausage meat has browned it’s time to add the liquids

To achieve the beautiful creamy texture in this dish we use a combination of White Wine, Heay Cream, and Pasta Water. There is a sequence of adding the liquids to achieve the best texture and flavor. It all begins by adding the White Wine

White Wine has a great ability to add a rich flavor to a sauce while also deglazing the pan. After 15 minutes or so of cooking there will likely be a lot of ‘flavor’ stuck to the bottom of your pan. A combination of charred bits of Onion and Sausage. This stuff tastes so good, so by adding White Wine to the pan you will be able to scrape all that up and incorporate it back into the dish

After a few minutes the White Wine will have almost completely disappeared, with the flavor now being infused into those Onions and Sausage Meat. At this point, drop the heat down to low and add in the Heavy Cream and cook for 10 minutes

Heavy Cream is one of those ingredients that will curdle and turn bad if you cook it at a high temperature. So low and slow is the name of the game here. While the Cream cooks it will begin to thicken up and intensify in flavor

Begin cooking your Rigatoni at this point

To multi-task this dish, we recommend adding your Rigatoni to a large pot filled with Salted, Boiling Water at this point. It’ll take about 8 – 10 minutes to cook to the point we require (which is slightly below al dente), so you know that once your Pasta is ready, the Sauce is also ready

Once cooked, the Rigatoni is added straight into the creamy sauce and mixed through well. You’ll notice the sauce will be quite thick at this point, so add about 1 cup of Pasta Water to help smooth it out a little bit. Using Pasta Water instead of regular water adds a silky texture to the dish, and helps coat the Rigatoni perfectly

You can add a little bit more Pasta Water if needed until you achieve your optimal texture. At which point, check the dish for seasoning as you may need to add a little bit more Salt and Pepper. We always recommend seasoning your dish throughout the cooking process. Whenever a new ingredient is added it’s a great idea to add a touch more seasoning. Always taste as you go too

At this point the dish is done! The final touch to complete your amazing Creamy Sausage Rigatoni dish is to add Parmesan Cheese. Get your hands on some good quality Parmigiano Reggiano and grate it liberally over the Pasta once you’ve plated it into individual plates or bowls. Never use the pre-cut Parmesan Cheese, always opt for the stuff you shred yourself

For some added heat you can finish the dish with some Chili Flakes

This is an optional step, but if you want even more spice in the dish try finish the dish with some Chili Flakes. There will already be a little bit of spice in there from the Sausages, but it will be mild. Adding Chili Flakes will give the Creamy Sausage Rigatoni a lovely kick, without completely overpowering the flavors in the dish

Another great option is sprinkling over a generous amount of Flaky Finishing Salt. Pasta dishes like this one can take a lot of Salt, and the Flaky Finishing Salt not only adds seasoning, but a beautiful crunchy texture to the dish

Creamy Sausage Rigatoni Recipe

Ingredients

• 250g / 9 oz. Rigatoni Pasta
• 3 tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Onion, finely diced
• 500g / 18 oz. Spicy Pork Sausage
• ½ cup White Wine
• 300ml / 10 fl. oz. Heavy Cream
• Pinch of Nutmeg
• Grated Parmesan Cheese to serve
• Salt and Pepper
  
  

Instructions

1. Heat the Olive Oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase heat to medium high then add the Sausages (remove from casing if required) Season with Salt and Pepper
2. Break apart Sausages while cooking for about 5 minutes, then add the White Wine. Cook for 3 minutes while scraping the bottom of the pan then add the Heavy Cream
3. Drop heat to low, add Nutmeg and simmer for 10 minutes
4. While the Sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of Salted Water to Boil then add the Rigatoni. Cook until slightly under al dente
5. Strain the Pasta, retaining 2 cups of Pasta Water. Add the Pasta to the Sauce along with 1 cup of Pasta Water. Stir well and add any additional Water needed to retain a silky, saucy consistency
6. Check for seasoning and adjust if necessary then serve into individual bowls. Finish with a generous amount of Parmesan Cheese
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can begin the recipe by preparing the Pasta. Just set it aside and ensure you retain the Pasta Water to mix into the Sauce at the end
• For added heat, try serving the dish with Chili Flakes
  
  

This delicious Creamy Sausage Rigatoni dish makes for the perfect meal to feed a hungry family in a cool evening. It’s ready in about 30 minutes, making it the perfect dinner to whip up during the week. It’s a simple recipe to make too, and the big flavors it produces are well worth trying!

For more hearty meals worthy of a midweek family dinner, we recommend trying out these wonderful recipes too:

• Butter Chicken
• Garlic and Chili Shrimp Spaghetti
• Cast Iron Tarragon Chicken
• Crispy Chicken with Romesco Sauce
  
  

Happy Cooking!