Italian Sausage Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce (2024)

ByLeigh Harris Published: February 20, 2023February 25, 2023 Updated onFebruary 25, 2023

Italian sausage rigatoni with a spicy tomato cream sauce is an easy, hearty, weeknight meal full of flavor and comfort.

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Why You’ll Love This

An easy flavorful meal on the table in 30 minutes!

Control the heat to please your palette. Use spicy Italian sausage if you want to kick the heat up, or use sweet to keep it mild.

Fire-roasted tomatoes and pancetta add layers of extra soul-warming flavor.

This dish is perfect for a quick weeknight meal, but it’s also fancy enough for a dinner party or a romantic dinner for two. Some of our other favorite pasta recipes are One Pot Hamburger Helper, Chicken Spaghetti, Crockpot Manicotti, and Baked Spaghetti.

Ingredients

• Rigatoni Pasta – Choose rigatoni that has ridges for the best results. The ridges allow the sauce to cling to the noodles.
• Italian Sausage – You can use hot or mild Italian sausage. If using Italian sausage links, remove the casings before browning.
• Pancetta – Pancetta is a salt-cured pork. In a pinch, you can use thick cut bacon.
• Spinach – For this rigatoni recipe, we use fresh baby spinach. If you choose to use frozen, be sure to squeeze out the excess water before adding it to the pan.
• Fire Roasted Tomatoes – This recipe does not need jarred marinara sauce or tomato sauce. Use canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes. They add so much more flavor than plain canned diced tomatoes.

Seasonings – Onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, white wine, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, kosher salt, and black pepper.

How To Make Italian Sausage Rigatoni with Spicy Tomato Cream Sauce

Cook the rigatoni according to package instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, brown the Italian Sausage and pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink.

Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.

In the same skillet, saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic and saute for one minute.

Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and white wine. Simmer and reduce the liquid to about half.

Lower the heat, and stir in the cream, spinach, salt, pepper, crushed red peppers, Italian sausage, and pancetta. Cook until the cream is heated through and the spinach is wilted.

Add the Parmesan and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Drain the pasta, add the pasta, and toss to coat the pasta evenly. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired, serve, and enjoy!

Comfort food at its BEST!

Ugh, I’m drooling as I write this post! I must put this on the menu asap.

Sides to Serve

Nothing beats a loaf of freshly baked bread to go with this sausage rigatoni recipe. Our Italian bread recipe is ready in about an hour and a half!

If you have time, you have to check out our Sourdough bread recipe! We worked on it for two years before we finally published it. Our easy overnight Focaccia bread would be great with this as well!

If you’re in a rush but still want that artisanal bread, check out our no-knead skillet bread or our no knead dutch oven bread. Gotta have that bread!!

Tips

• Cook the pasta in a large pot. The pasta needs room to dance around in the boiling water.
• Season the pasta water with enough salt. The salted water should taste like seawater.
• Cook the pasta al dente! You don’t want mushy rigatoni.
• You can use Pecorino Romano cheese instead of grated Parmesan cheese. But please don’t use the cheese in a green can!

Variations

• If you love spicy, use hot Italian sausage. If you are more of a mild-spice person, use sweet Italian sausage.FAQs
• You can also substitute pork Italian sausage with chicken sausage. Although the flavor will be a bit different.
• If you wish to omit the wine, replace it with an equal amount of chicken broth.
• Although this recipe uses rigatoni, you can substitute ziti, penne, or mezzi rigatoni. Be aware that pasta with ridges works best with thick sauces. The pasta clings better to the surface ridges.

FAQs

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