Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta
Rich and creamy pasta with browned Italian sausage, rigatoni, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach in a parmesan cream sauce, ready in 30 minutes for a comforting meal.
Equipment
- 1 large pot
- 1 12-inch skillet
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
- ¾ pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ pound mild Italian sausage
- ¾ cup yellow onion small diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- ¾ teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- ½ teaspoon salt plus additional for pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup julienned sun-dried tomatoes packed in herbed olive oil drained
- 1 ½ cups shredded parmesan cheese
- 3 cups baby spinach lightly packed
- Chopped fresh parsley optional garnish
Instructions
- Cook rigatoni pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water for 9-11 minutes until al dente, then drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add Italian sausage, onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Cook the sausage mixture for 9-11 minutes, until the sausage is golden brown and the onions and spices are soft and fragrant.
- Transfer cooked sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease, discard the paper towel, and return sausage to the skillet.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and add butter. Once melted, whisk in flour and cook for 1 minute until light golden brown.
- Slowly whisk in chicken broth until smooth, then add heavy cream and sun-dried tomatoes. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5-7 minutes until thickened.
- Stir in parmesan cheese until fully incorporated, then add baby spinach and cook until wilted.
- Add sausage mixture and drained pasta to the skillet, stirring to combine and coat the pasta with sauce.
- Remove from heat and garnish with chopped fresh parsley if desired before serving.
Notes
- Remove casing from sausage links before cooking.
- Use mild Italian sausage; avoid smoked sausage.
- Slice whole sun-dried tomatoes into strips.
- Optional: use herbed oil from tomatoes for cooking sausage.
- Remove tough spinach stems before adding.
- Sauce too thick? Add chicken broth gradually.
- Sauce too thin? Simmer longer to reduce.
- Substitute hot sausage for heat or use penne/ziti pasta.
- Store leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days; avoid freezing.
- Reheat gently, adding broth to restore sauce texture.