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Have You Tried This Creamy Italian Sausage Rigatoni Recipe?

Creamy Italian Sausage Rigatoni

This creamy Italian sausage rigatoni features robust sausage flavors married with a rich parmesan cream sauce for authentic Italian comfort food. The dish comes together effortlessly in under 30 minutes, transforming simple ingredients into a restaurant-quality meal perfect for weeknights. Rigatoni pasta's tube shape perfectly captures the creamy sauce while the sausage provides satisfying texture and bold flavor.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Ingredients
  • 1.25 lbs Italian sausage
  • 12 oz. rigatoni pasta (uncooked)
  • 1 15-oz can petite diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1.5 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Equipment

  • large skillet
  • pasta pot

Method
 

Instructions
  1. Cook pasta in liberally salted water 1 minute less than manufacturer's instructions for al dente preparation then drain well.
  2. Meanwhile, remove casings from sausage (if applicable) then cook and crumble sausage in a large skillet until nicely browned. Do not drain.
  3. Add tomatoes (with juice), oregano and remaining seasonings to skillet then bring to a boil and continue cooking until liquid has reduced almost completely (about 3-4 minutes).
  4. Stir in cream then bring to a bubbling simmer over medium-high heat. Continue cooking 8-10 minutes or until sauce is glossy and coats the back of a spoon.
  5. Stir in parmesan cheese until smooth.
  6. Gently fold in cooked rigatoni then cook for 1-3 minutes or until pasta is well coated and sauce is sticking nicely to the pasta.
  7. Top with additional parmesan cheese if desired then serve immediately.

Notes

Cook pasta slightly underdone to maintain texture when combined with sauce. Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency if needed. The dish tastes even better the next day as flavors develop.