Hearty, meaty, and stick-to-the-ribs delicious!
My family eats a lot of pasta. It’s a go-to, easy meal on most nights, but truth be told, our sauces usually come from a jar. While I get the point of convenience, especially on busy weeknights when you have hungry mouths to feed and little time, with some extra effort and a few basic ingredients, creating something memorable isn’t all that difficult.
Take this rigatoni recipe, for example. It combines hearty and aromatic Italian sausage with canned tomatoes and other pantry staples, such as dried herbs and spices, to make a dish that is so much more than the sum of its parts. The addition of cream balances the subtle acidity of the tomatoes while adding richness and a silky-smooth mouthfeel. This is the type of food that makes you instantly forget the stresses of the day and might even transport you to a sweet little trattoria somewhere in the Italian countryside. I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to open a bottle of Chianti with this one!
Ridged For Flavor!
Rigatoni is derived from the Italian word rigato, which means “ridged.” It’s a popular type of pasta in the central and southern regions of the country and is made from semolina dough that’s pressed through a ridged mold. The ridges are an important part of the pasta, as they give sauces something to cling to. Pasta without some sort of texture to its shape won’t hold onto sauces as well, allowing them to slide off. As such, these ridges make rigatoni one of the best pastas to serve with hearty sauces such as this one. That said, in a pinch you could also use fusilli.
How To Make Ahead And Store
You can store your rigatoni in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days. However, for the best results, I recommend storing your sauce separately in a jar (or airtight container), then making the rigatoni pasta itself the day you intend to serve it and reheating the sauce then. You could also freeze the sauce if you want it to last longer and keep it in your freezer for up to 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
Tomato-based pastas such as this one practically demand a side of greens. Great choices include Grilled Green Beans, Grilled Asparagus, or a Kale Caesar Salad With Parmesan Crisp Croutons. Baked Garlic Rolls are always a hit with any pasta dish, and should you have room for dessert, keep things light with this creamy Almond Amaretto Panna Cotta.
The Best Rigatoni Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 pound Italian sausage casing removed
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook rigatoni pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add Italian sausage, breaking it apart with a spoon, and cook until browned.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, sugar, Italian seasoning, dried basil, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add cooked rigatoni to the sauce, mixing well to coat the pasta.
- Stir in heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until the cheese is melted and the sauce is creamy.
- Serve hot, garnished with additional Parmesan, if desired.
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