I confess that I almost didn't make this recipe - the food blogger entitled it 'Date Me' Creamy Sausage Rigatoni Pasta and told a tale of how she used this particular recipe to ensnare her future husband. Normally crap like that has me running for the hills. . . particularly the 'way to a man's heart is through his stomach' gendered nonsense.
With super human resolve (and a desire to use up some of the 30 packages of sausage I found when I did a freezer clean) I pulled it together and persevered. I am glad that I did because this is a great pasta (even with the 'Date Me' crap removed). This rich and creamy tomato cream and sausage sauce is tossed with rigatoni and topped with a flurry of freshly grated parmesan cheese. The result is delicious.
The sauce makes a LOT. In fact, we tossed the pasta in sauce and had enough left in the pot to freeze two containers for future use. Can't complain about that.
Enjoy!
Creamy Sausage Rigatoni Pasta
2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 large Onion (diced)
4 Garlic Cloves (minced)
1 1/2 lbs. Italian Sausage (may use 1 lb. if you want less sausage)
(2) 28-ounce cans Whole or Crushed Tomatoes
1/4 cup Fresh Basil, chopped (or 1 Tablespoon dried basil)
1/4 cup Fresh Oregano, chopped (or 1 Tablespoon dried oregano)
1 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes <
2 teaspoons Salt 1 teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
1 1/2 cups Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 lb. Rigatoni Pasta
Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add oil. Add onions and cook for 7-8 minutes until softened. Add garlic cloves and sausage. Cook for 7-8 minutes more until sausage begins to brown.
Fill a large pot with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt to the water to infuse the pasta with flavor. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
Add tomatoes. If using whole tomatoes, blend in a blender until smooth. Add fresh basil, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Let it come to a boil and reduce.
Stir in heavy cream and 1 cup of parmesan cheese, reserving 1/2 cup for garnish. Reduce heat to medium-low and let it simmer.
Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. If you want it to be less "saucy" let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes longer.
Taste for seasonings. Serve with remaining 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
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