Sausage with Rigatoni in Spicy Cream Sauce is pure comfort food and makes an easy and delicious weeknight meal. This recipe strikes a delightful balance between the acidity of the tomatoes and the indulgent creaminess of the sauce.
The flavor starts with onion and garlic which are sauteed with the sausage for maximum flavor.
A can of diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce are then added. I think it’s nice to have a few chunks of tomato in an otherwise creamy sauce. A tablespoon of tomato paste really ups the tomato flavor.
This recipe has the perfect balance between tomatoes and cream. A half a cup of cream makes it plenty rich and creamy, but doesn’t make it heavy.
A little salt, pepper, dried basil (you could use fresh), and red pepper flakes are all that’s needed for the sauce as far as seasoning.
Parmesan cheese is added last minute to the sauce for more flavor, plus it helps thicken the sauce. Use either hot or mild sausage. I usually go with hot.
Whenever I make this pasta dish, I think- I don’t cook rigatoni nearly enough! I love the chewiness and substance it has. This dish is the epitome of comfort food!
How To Serve Italian Sausage Rigatoni with Spicy Cream Sauce
This spicy sausage rigatoni dish tastes great topped with some chopped fresh basil, garlic bread, and a garden salad with Creamy Italian Dressing.
Variations
- Use penne or ziti in place of rigatoni.
- Use turkey sausage in place of Italian sausage.
- Leave the red pepepr flakes out if you don’t want it spicy.
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More Easy Pasta Recipes
- Southern Spaghetti Sauce
- Spicy Tomato Cream Pasta
- Pepperoncini Pasta Sauce
- Pasta with Sausage Cream Sauce
- Creamy Cajun Sausage Pasta
- Italian Sausage Manicotti
Watch the short video below to see how easy this recipe is to make.
Italian Sausage Rigatoni with Spicy Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 pound Italian sausage Remove from casings if in casings, use either sweet or spicy
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pan and cook onion until it starts to soften. Add sausage, and break it into pieces with a wooden spoon as it cooks.
- When sausage is no longer pink, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, basil, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and place drained pasta in a large bowl.
- Add cream and simmer another 5 minutes, Turn heat to low and stir in Parmesan cheese.
- Pour sauce over pasta and toss to coat.
Notes
Nutrition
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Originally posted September 6, 2015.
Made this for supper tonight and it was delicious. I accidentally left out the tomato paste, but it still tasted great. This recipe is a keeper and will definitely be made again and again.
just made this tonight and it was so good. I made it all in one large fry pan. The only thing that I did not have was the cream so it was just the tomatoes/sauce and paste. This will be a keeper recipe, thanks.
I made this tonight for dinner. OMG!! So good. Used a 16 oz. box of rigatoni, and it still was saucy enough.
Effortless and delicious. I will definitely be making this again.
Great hearty dish! thank you for sharing! Can’t wait to check out your other recipes!
Xoxo
I don’t have any heavy cream or greek yogurt, does anyone know of any good substitutes?
I was jist going to ise milk to lighten it up
Delicious! Made this for my boyfriend and I last night and loved it! Lots of leftovers. I am a wimp when it comes to spice so I left out the red pepper flakes and added a bit more garlic (never too much garlic!). I also added a tiny bit more tomato paste (1. to thicken it a little more and 2. what else can I do with this tomato paste?). Made some steamed broccoli for some greens on the side. Will definitely be making again for a yummy comfort meal 🙂
I opened a can of tomato paste and took a tablespoon out. Then I used the rest to make tomato sauce by putting the paste into a 2 cup measuring cup adding just slightly a cup of water and using a whip to mix until you have a sauce. If you want to make it like the canned add a pinch of sugar.
I normally add about 2/3 of a cup of heavy cream and enough shredded Parmesan cheese to thicken it till it’s actually Country style Rigatoni.
For a slightly different taste a LESS than a pinch of 5 Chinese spices while cooking the sausage or when you put the other spices in.
Not a fan of chunks of tomatoes in my sauce. What could I use as a substitute for that?
I used sundried tomatoes and it was delicious
Stephanie, I’m not a fan of tomato chunks either, anytime I see a recipe with tomato chunks I always buy tomato puree works great!
Put the tomatoes in a deep bowl and blend them with a stick blender.
I was going to run through a processor because husband does not like chunks either
I always run mine through the food processor. . Works great!
A family favorite , so much flavor!
Is there a way to make this dish non spicy dish? I have had it spicy and it was delicious, but the group I am making it for don’t have a high tolerance.
Just use sweet Italian sausage and leave out the red pepper flakes.
Wow, looks amazing. I have always enjoyed the combination of rigatoni with italian sausage. I can’t wait to try it!
Followed the recipe to a T and it was DELICIOUS!! Used hot italian sausage which made the recipe.
Thanks for the yummy pasta comfort recipe!
This is a quick & delicious sauce! It is thick, so instead of frying the sausage like ground beef, I pinched off pieces a bit larger as I was putting them in with the onion. I think it really showcases the sausage against the thick sauce. I made exactly as directed but next time I will double the recipe. It’s a 30-minute meal that tastes like it simmered all day! Thank you for the delish alternative to standard meat sauce!
Very good but a little spicy for me. I used 3 hot sausages and two mild. I will make it again but only use mild or sweet sausage
Made this for my in-laws and husband. Everyone loved it. We live in a very Italian city here in Upstate NY, so we all know good Italian food. This was super easy and really flavorful!
Delicious! I really enjoyed it. I would’ve liked a bit more sauce but that’s an easy fix. We added mushrooms and red peppers and it was amazing.
Absolutely delicious!! I used just pork sausages and added a bit more herbs to compensate but really great dish!
Family loves this very tasty pasta dish.. I cook it pretty often and it is sooo easy💕 Where has Italian sausage been all my life?
It tastes so delicious….the whole family enjoyed it and asking me to make it again….
I turned this recipe into an instant pot recipe. Same incredients but added 24 oz of water (for the IP requirements/pasta cooking) and cooked on manual pressure for 8 min. I’m camping and didn’t want to wash another pot or stand over the stove. It was good, I’m glad it was easy enough to convert
Delicious! Making it for a second time tonight! A definite keeper in my recipes!!!!