Easy Sausage Rigatoni

 

I had a quantity of Italian Sausage that I wanted to cook and so the other day I went searching online for some inspiration. I remembered being invited to a friend's home for supper back in the 1990's and she had made an Italian Sausage Rigatoni bake that was quite delicious.

I had hoped to find something similar.  I didn't really but I did find this simple and delicious sounding recipe on a blog called Salt and Lavendar.  While it was not exactly what I was looking for, I thought it looked fabulous! 

 

Her recipe was for a simple sausage sauce that is tossed together with the cooked pasta and then served hot with some cheese on top. I was looking more for a baked dish.

I decided to go with her inspiration for the sauce and then pour the pasta and sauce into a baking dish, layering it with cheese and baking it briefly to melt the cheese.

 

The sauce is a really simple basic tomato sauce, using two kinds of tinned tomatoes.  Chopped and crushed. There is also onion and plenty of garlic in the sauce. Some cream is added at the end to enrich it and to take away from the acidity of the tomatoes. 

I added some chili flakes and dried basil to amp up the flavors. If you are using spicy Italian sausage you may want to leave out the chili flakes! 

I also cut the recipe in half to make only two generously delicious servings.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY SAUSAGE RIGATONI

Very simple ingredients.  Don't be tempted to substitute the types of tomatoes for other kinds. The thickness of your sauce depends on the type of tomatoes used.

• 4 ounces (1 cup, 115g) of uncooked rigatoni
• 8 ounces (1/2 pound/226g) uncooked Italian sausage meat (spicy or mild)
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 cup (160g) tinned chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1 cup (240g) tinned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy/whipping cream
• pinch of crushed dried chilies (optional)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated cheese to taste (I used a mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella)

 

The spiciness of your sauce depends on the type of Italian sausage meat used. I used mild and chose to add some chilies to my own taste.  You will need to remove the meat from the sausage casings if you have bought link sausage. My sausage came in bulk.

It is important to use the exact kinds of tomatoes as specified in the recipe to get the best results. Likewise, the type of cream specified. Any other kind of cream or milk may cause the sauce to split.

 

HOW TO MAKE EASY SAUSAGE RIGATONI

You can choose to serve this simply as a sauced pasta or as a pasta bake. It's really up to you. It is delicious either way.

Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. If you plan on baking this in the oven, preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 and butter a medium sized casserole dish.

Crumble the sausage meat into a skillet. Add the onion and herbs. Cook and stir over medium high heat until brown. (8 to 10 minutes.) Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Stir in both kinds of the tomatoes and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, while you cook the pasta.

 

Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain well.

Stir the cream into the sauce and season as required to taste. Simmer for a further couple of minutes and then toss together with the cooked and drained pasta. Top with cheese to serve.

If you are wanting to bake this (Optionally) then layer the sauced pasta in a baking dish with the cheese (however much you want. I used a handful of mozzarella and a couple TBS of Parmesan). Make two layers of pasta and cheese, finishing with cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese.

 

This was really delicious served just as a sauce with the pasta or baked in the casserole.  It is down to individual taste as to how you wish to serve it.

I served this simply with some buttered crusty bread (so as to mop up all that sauce) and a tasty salad of leafy greens, chopped tomato and cucumber on the side.  It made for a hearty and simple meal that I quite enjoyed!

Some other pasta recipes in The English Kitchen which you may enjoy are:

SAUCY PASTA HOOPS - Did you enjoy Spaghetti-o's when you were a child? If so, you are sure to enjoy this very adult version of the same. Delicious simple! 

CHICKEN & PASTA IN A GARLIC & CREAM SAUCE-This is a fabulous one pot dinner of chicken and pasta in the most delicious sun-dried tomato and garlic cheese sauce. This is such a simple recipe.  

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Easy Sausage Rigatoni

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min

This recipe for an easy Italian sausage rigatoni is very simple to make. It is also sized perfectly to make just two deliciously generous servings. You can serve this as is or layer it into a casserole dish with cheese and bake for a short time. Recipe timings do not reflect the time required to bake it.

Ingredients

• 4 ounces (1 cup, 115g) of uncooked rigatoni
• 8 ounces (1/2 pound/226g) uncooked Italian sausage meat (spicy or mild)
• 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
• 1 cup (160g) tinned chopped tomatoes in juice
• 1 cup (240g) tinned crushed tomatoes
• 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy/whipping cream
• pinch of crushed dried chilies (optional)
• 1/2 tsp dried basil flakes
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated cheese to taste (I used a mix of Parmesan and Mozzarella)

Instructions

1. Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. If you plan on baking this in the oven, preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4 and butter a medium sized casserole dish.
2. Crumble the sausage meat into a skillet. Add the onion and herbs. Cook and stir over medium high heat until brown. (8 to 10 minutes.) Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
3. Stir in both kinds of the tomatoes and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes, while you cook the pasta.
4. Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions. Drain well.
5. Stir the cream into the sauce and season as required to taste. Simmer for a further couple of minutes and then toss together with the cooked and drained pasta. Top with cheese to serve.
6. If you are wanting to bake this (Optionally) then layer the sauced pasta in a baking dish with the cheese (however much you want. I used a handful of mozzarella and a couple TBS of Parmesan). Make two layers of pasta and cheese, finishing with cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 minutes to melt the cheese.

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