Creamy Sausage Rigatoni (One-Pan, 30-Minute Meal)

Creamy Sausage Rigatoni (One-Pan, 30-Minute Meal)

from juliasalbum.com

One-Pot Creamy Sausage Rigatoni is an easy-to-make weeknight dinner made in just 30 minutes!  This rigatoni recipe features basic ingredients found in most grocery stores. Everything is cooked in one pan on the stove-top: Italian sausage, creamy tomato sauce, and pasta. It's restaurant-quality comfort food!

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 15 oz Italian sausage (crumbled)
  • 8 oz rigatoni (uncooked)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or Herbs from Provence)
  • 15 oz tomato sauce (such as tomato pasta sauce or marinara)
  • 5 oz fresh spinach
  • salt and coarsely ground black pepper (to taste)
  • red pepper flakes (to taste)

Directions

  1. 1

    Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium heat in a large, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet on the stovetop.

  2. 2

    Add crumbled sausage and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes, crumbling it, until it is cooked through. Drain any grease or liquid.

  3. 3

    To the same skillet with sausage, add uncooked rigatoni, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce.

  4. 4

    Bring to a boil on medium heat and stir everything well. Cover with a lid, and allow the pasta to cook for about 10 to 15 minutes on medium heat, while the sauce boils.

  5. 5

    Cook until pasta reaches an "al dente" texture. Stir frequently to prevent pasta and sausage from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

  6. 6

    Add fresh spinach, and cook on medium heat, stirring frequently for a couple of minutes, until the spinach wilts to your liking.

  7. 7

    Alternatively, just remove the skillet from heat, top sausage rigatoni with spinach, cover the pan with the lid. Let the spinach wilt, off heat, in the residual heat in a covered skillet for about 4 minutes. Then, stir.

  8. 8

    Cook longer if you would like a thicker sauce.

  9. 9

    Mix everything well. Remove from heat. Season with salt, freshly ground coarse black pepper, and red pepper flakes if you like.

  10. 10

    Tip: use your best judgment about the salt. If the sausage is salty enough, you might not need to add any extra salt.

  11. 11

    Note: I provide very helpful step-by-step photos for this recipe above the recipe card. Scroll up if you would like to see the photos that visually explain this recipe.