Creamy Rigatoni with Chicken Sausage

Creamy rigatoni with chicken sausage is one of those pasta dishes I always make.  Everyone in the family likes it and it comes together in about 30 minutes, making getting dinner on the table pretty easy.  Most of the ingredients I usually have on hand aside from the sausage, but otherwise, it’s a pantry recipe for me.  The rigatoni is tossed in a creamy pink sauce with browned chicken sausage and then topped with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.  It’s the perfect dinner for those busy weeknights.

Here’s what you need to make rigatoni with chicken sausage:

Chicken Sausage– Four chicken sausage links, sliced into round discs.  I prefer an Italian chicken sausage, but other varieties would work.  You can also choose to use pork sausage.  Like sweet Italian sausage or mild Italian sausages. Also worth noting, 4 sausage links is quite a bit, so I usually only use 3.  

Onion– 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced to get about 1/2 cup.  

Garlic–  3-4 whole garlic cloves, finely minced.

Chicken Stock/Broth– One cup of chicken stock or chicken broth.  

Heavy Cream– One cup of heavy cream also called heavy whipping cream.  In a pinch, you could also use half and half.  It might not get as thick and creamy as when you use heavy cream, but the flavor will still be great.

Sundried Tomatoes– 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely diced into very small pieces.  I like to cut the tomatoes into very small pieces because I don’t like the texture of biting into a whole sundried tomato.  This is just a personal preference, you can roughly cut them or even leave them whole if you want.  

Tomato Paste– 2 teaspoons of tomato paste.  Tomato paste comes in small cans usually found next to canned tomatoes.  If you find it in a tube that’s even better because you can store it in the fridge and it doesn’t go to waste.  I never finish the whole can and I end up tossing most of it out.  

Oregano– 1 teaspoon of dried oregano

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes– 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.  If you like things spicy feel free to add more to suit your taste.  

Sugar– 1/4 tsp white granulated sugar.

Salt-1/2 teaspoon of salt. 

Parmesan Cheese– 3 tablespoons of parmesan cheese, finely grated + more for topping each dish.  I always recommend grating the cheese fresh for the dish, but if you only have the pre-grated cheese that’s ok!

Fresh Basil– 2 tablespoons of fresh basil, roughly chopped.  This will be sprinkled over the top of the pasta just before serving.   

Rigatoni Pasta-12-16 oz. of Rigatoni Pasta.  Rigatoni is a medium size tube pasta with ridges.  The sauce clings to the outside and pools a little on the inside.  It’s one of my favorite noodles.  But, any kind of pasta shape will work in this dish, try Penne pasta, Farfalla pasta, Rotini pasta, or Orcchiette pasta.   

Here’s how to make this creamy chicken sausage pasta:

Make the pasta

First, get the pasta going.  Get a large pot of water put it over high heat and cover it with the lid.  Covering the pot helps it come to a boil faster.  Follow the directions on the package for time.  When the water comes to a boil, add a large pinch of salt to the water, and then add the pasta.  Do not put the lid back on. Cook until there is a slight bite to the pasta.  Al dente rigatoni is what you are going for.  If the pasta is too soft it will get mushy in the sauce.

Prep all the ingredients

Begin by slicing the sausage.  I cut it into round disc-like circles.  Not too thick, but not too thin.  Next, dice the onion, mince the garlic, and cut the sundried tomatoes.  I also like to measure out my liquid ingredients so that when the time comes I just have to pour it in.  Grate the parmesan cheese and set aside.  Lastly, roughly chop the basil.  

Let’s cook!

Use a large skillet, preferably one that is high-sided.  Add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and warm it up over medium-high heat.  Once the oil starts to shimmer add the sausage in one layer.  Turn the heat down to medium heat.  Try and get each piece to lay flat so it can brown evenly.  Cook until edges are golden brown and then flip over.  You’ll cook the sausage for about 5-7 minutes total. Once the sausage is cooked, remove it from the pan onto a separate plate and set aside.  

Next, return the pan to medium heat and add another tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the diced onion and cook until soft and translucent about 4-5 minutes.  Then add the garlic stir and cook for about 30 seconds.  Pour in the chicken stock to deglaze the pan.  Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to release any bits of food that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Bring the stock to a simmer and then add the cream, tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, pepper flakes, sugar, salt, and parmesan cheese.  Simmer for 3-5 minutes until slightly thickened. It will look like a creamy tomato sauce.  Once the sauce has thickened, add the sausage back to the sauce to warm up for about 1-2 minutes.  Then over low heat add the cooked pasta to the sauce.  Toss to combine.  Top with fresh basil and more cheese.  

Let’s eat!

Use a slotted spoon to divide the pasta into four bowls.  Top each bowl with more parmesan cheese.  Serve the creamy pasta dish with a simple green salad and garlic bread.  Store any leftover pasta in an airtight container for 3 days in the refrigerator.  

More recipes to try!

Chicken Piccata Pasta

Brown Butter Pasta with Spicy Sausage and Peas

Creamy Mushroom Pasta

Italian Chopped Pasta Salad

Fettuccine Alfredo