A Pasta Recipe You Won't Screw Up [ Sausage Rigatoni ]

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: pork sausage

Chicken sausage reduces fat content while maintaining flavor.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is lower in calories and provides a cheesy flavor.

Slice a handful of cherry tomatoes in half.

Bash 2 cloves of garlic to prepare them.

Measure out about 0.5 pound of Italian sausage and set aside.

Eyeball between a third and a half of a 1-pound box of rigatoni and set aside.

Chop some Italian parsley for garnish, but don't chop too finely to preserve the oils.

Grate some pecorino Romano cheese for the dish.

Get a pot of water boiling and add kosher salt.

Cook the rigatoni for 12 minutes until al dente, but remove it about 1 minute to 1.5 minutes before it's fully cooked to finish in the pan.

Heat a stainless steel pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil to coat the bottom.

Add the Italian sausage to the pan and cook until browned, allowing it to stick to the bottom to create fond.

Add the garlic to the pan and cook for less than a minute to avoid burning.

Add the halved cherry tomatoes to the pan along with a little salt and black pepper.

Sprinkle in some red pepper flakes for spice.

Add starchy pasta water to deglaze the pan and lift the fond off the bottom.

Once combined, turn off the heat before adding the pecorino cheese to prevent it from becoming stringy.

Let the mixture sit for 30-45 seconds before adding the cheese to allow it to combine smoothly.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens