Sausage Rigatoni with Spinach
A comforting and easy-to-make pasta dish featuring crumbled beef sausage, rigatoni, and fresh spinach in a creamy sauce.
Equipment
- Large high-sided skillet For cooking the pasta and sauce.
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 15 oz beef sausage crumbled
- 8 oz rigatoni uncooked
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
- 15 oz tomato sauce such as tomato pasta sauce or marinara
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- Salt to taste
- coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large, high-sided skillet over medium heat.
- Add the crumbled beef sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks until it's fully cooked. Drain any excess grease to keep the dish from becoming too oily.
- To the skillet with the sausage, add the uncooked rigatoni, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce. Stir well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring well. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 10-15 minutes on medium heat. This allows the pasta to reach an 'al dente' texture while the sauce simmers. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add the fresh spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until it wilts to your desired level. Alternatively, remove the skillet from heat, top the sausage rigatoni with spinach, cover, and let the spinach wilt in the residual heat for about 4 minutes before stirring.
- If you prefer a thicker sauce, cook longer. Remove from heat and season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Remember to adjust salt based on the saltiness of the sausage; you may not need to add extra salt.
Notes
Feel free to customize the spice level by adjusting the red pepper flakes. You can also add grated Parmesan cheese on top before serving for extra flavor.