Italian Sausage Rigatoni
This Italian sausage rigatoni pasta is incredibly delicious and flavorful. Italian sausage and additional Italian seasoning are the heavy hitters in this recipe, but I’ve also included fennel seeds to switch things up a bit flavor-wise. Tomato paste, chicken bouillon, and heavy cream make up a wonderfully creamy sauce, and fresh spinach helps us squeeze some greens in. It makes a great weeknight dinner and, dare I say, even better leftovers!
Italian sausage is one of my favorite things to add lots of flavor to pasta dishes. If you are, too, you’ll enjoy my Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Baked Ziti, Sausage Ragu, and Cheesy Lasagna Soup as well as this rigatoni with Italian sausage!
Why This Recipe Works
- Creamy sausage rigatoni. All pasta is good pasta. But creamy pasta is next level. This rigatoni with Italian sausage and tomato cream sauce gets plenty of tomato flavor from tomato paste, while the cream brings the sauce together nicely.
- Familiar with a twist. Italian sausage, Italian seasoning, chopped vegetables, and tomato paste are all familiar flavors. But the addition of fennel seeds and paprika lifts this pasta dish in an unexpected yet delicious way, adding some much-needed variety.
- Great for any occasion. This pasta dish is perfect for a weeknight meal the whole family will love, but the incredible flavor also makes it perfect for a Sunday dinner or other special occasions.
Ingredient Notes
- Rigatoni: This large tube pasta is perfect for a the hearty sausage and tomato cream sauce in this dish.
- Mirepoix: A mixture of diced celery, carrots, and onions, this traditional combination makes for a wonderful flavor base to the sauce.
- Italian sausage: The star of this dish. I use mild Italian sausage, sometimes called sweet Italian sausage, but you can use hot Italian sausage. If you prefer to use regular sausage or you can’t find Italian sausage, add additional Italian seasoning to make up for it.
- Paprika: This spice enhances the sweetness of the carrots and onion in the mirepoix, as well as the tomato paste. For added dimension, I think smoked paprika would be tasty as well.
- Fennel seeds: These little seeds lend an earthy sweetness to the sauce that I personally think is delicious.
- Baby spinach: For color as well as additional nutrients.
- Better Than Bouillon: While I still find a lot of uses for chicken broth or chicken stock, I love the taste and convenience of this bouillon paste. You can still use regular chicken broth in a pinch.
- Red pepper flakes: For a bit of heat. I keep the spice levels fairly low in most of my recipes because of my kids, but you could certainly add extra red pepper flakes for a spicy Italian sausage rigatoni.
- Heavy cream: The addition of cream makes this pasta sauce creamy, of course, and also adds a delightful richness to the dish, cutting through and balancing out the strong flavors of the Italian sausage and fennel seeds.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep vegetables. Wash and dice yellow onion, celery, and carrots. You need 1 cup of each, so 3 cups total of chopped veggies to make your mirepoix. I find this comes out to about 1 yellow onion, 2-3 stalks of celery, and 2-3 medium carrots. You may also wish to prepare your spinach at this time. You need 4 cups of loosely packed, chopped baby spinach. Set the spinach aside.
- Cook mirepoix. Once your veggies are diced, set a large dutch oven or pot on the stove over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot. Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion, celery, and carrots, and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
- Add sausage and cook. To your veggies, add 1 lb of ground Italian sausage. Break the meat up into small pieces as it cooks. Cook until the meat is browned.
- Boil pasta. While the meat browns, bring a large pot of water to boil. Once it’s boiling, add 1-2 tablespoons of salt and then add 12 oz. of rigatoni. Cook the pasta just under al dente, since it will cook a bit more in the sauce for the finished dish. Drain pasta and set aside while you finish the sauce.
- Add additional seasonings. To your cooked sausage and vegetables, add 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ⅛ teaspoon of red pepper flakes, and 1 teaspoon of paprika. Give it a good stir, mixing in the seasonings, then add ¼ cup of tomato paste. Stir the tomato paste in and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the tomato paste darkens in color.
- Add liquid ingredients. Add 1½ cups of water and 1 teaspoon of chicken-flavored Better Than Bouillon to the pot for your sauce. Stir, bring to a simmer, and let it cook until the water has reduced by half. Once the water has reduced, add 1¼ cup of heavy cream and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened. This took me 2-3 minutes.
- Add spinach and pasta. Add the chopped baby spinach and pasta to the delicious sauce and stir until the pasta is thoroughly coated.
- Serve and enjoy. Dish up your delicious pasta top it with Parmesan cheese, fresh basil, or fresh parsley if you want, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
If you can’t find Italian sausage or you would prefer to use regular sausage, add 2 additional teaspoons of Italian seasoning. For spicy sausage rigatoni, use hot Italian sausage and/or additional red pepper flakes.
You can substitute spinach for kale, but the kale will need to cook longer. Add it to the sauce before the pasta and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it wilts, before adding the pasta.
I used regular paprika in this recipe but I think smoked paprika would add another delicious dimension of flavor to this dish.
You can easily use 1½ cups of chicken broth or chicken stock if you don’t have any bouillon.
No rigatoni? No problem! Substitute another tube pasta, such as penne pasta, or perhaps something like rotini. You want a pasta shape that will capture all the chunky goodness of the sauce.
I think red bell peppers could be a yummy addition to this pasta if you really wanted to enhance the sweetness of the sauce.
Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing
Make Ahead: This is definitely one of those recipes that tastes better the next day as the flavors continue to meld together. Make it at the beginning of the week and enjoy leftovers for 3-4 days. You can also make the sauce a day or two in advance and cook up fresh pasta to add to it before serving.
Storing: Store leftover Italian sausage rigatoni in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing cooked pasta as it tends to get mushy when it thaws. However, I think you could freeze the sauce in a freezer-safe container or zip top bag for up to 2 months. Allow the sauce to cool completely to room temperature, then cool it in the fridge before transferring it to a freezer container. The sauce may separate a bit upon thawing but I think should come back together if you stir it.
Recipe FAQs
Another kind of sausage works great! Just add some extra Italian seasoning. You can also substitute another kind of ground meat, but it won’t taste as flavorful and you’ll need to add additional salt.
If your sauce appears too thin, it just needs to simmer a little longer.
Another tube-shaped pasta like penne works great as a substitute for rigatoni.
I do not recommend freezing cooked pasta, as it tends to be mushy when thawed. However, you can freeze the sauce without the added pasta in a freezer safe container or zip-top bag for up to 2 months.
More Easy Pasta Recipes
Italian Sausage Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 12 oz uncooked rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup yellow onion - diced
- 1 cup celery - diced
- 1 cup carrots - diced
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon garlic - minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes - add more if you want more heat (my kids don't handle spice well, so I always keep it dialed back for them).
- 1 teaspoon paprika - regular or smoked paprika
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon chicken better than bouillon
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 4 cups baby spinach - chopped and loosely packed
Instructions
- In a large dutch over or pot set over medium heat add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the onion is translucent. Add the Italian sausage to the pot. Using a wooden spoon, break the meat up into small pieces. Continue cooking until the meat is fully browned.
- While the meat is browning bring a large pot of water to boil. Add 1-2 tablespoons of salt to the water then add the rigatoni. Cook until 1 minute under al dente. Drain the water and set pasta aside while you're continuing with the recipe.
- Once the meat is browned stir in the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, onion powder, fennel seeds, crushed red pepper flakes, and paprika. Give it a good stir then add the tomato paste. Stir the tomato paste frequently and cook for 3-4 minutes or until it darkens in color.
- Add water and the better than bouillon. Stir and bring to a simmer. Once the water has reduced by half stir in the cream and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring frequently until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the chopped spinach and pasta. Toss until the noodles are coated in the delicious sauce. Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.
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