We were inspired to create this spicy sausage rigatoni by the infamous Carbone rigatoni. When we went to Carbone, we had one thing in mind: Spicy Rigatoni. Like so many, we had seen dozens of photos of the unmistakable plate of pasta. Pasta is piled on the plate and each noodle enveloped in a creamy yet bright tomato sauce. We entered the restaurant, knew there was one bite we could not leave without.
We briefly glanced at the menu to determine something else to order with the rigatoni. After deciding on a tortellini, the waiter stopped by. Without hesitation, we ordered two pastas. The waiter kindly asked if we would like to consider a starter or maybe something “green” to which we quickly responded, “we are here for the pasta.” After ordering, a few minutes passed before a steaming plate of rigatoni emerged.
The plate of pasta was everything we imagined and more. It was a generous portion of perfectly al dente rigatoni noodles. The sauce was creamy and deeply red colored. It is one of those dishes that you look at and immediately want to dig into. We quickly grabbed a fork and poked a few al dente noodles onto the prongs.
Each bite was just as good as we imagined. The pasta was al dente and the sauce was creamy. Every single bite was a little piece of heaven. We enjoyed the pasta so much we wanted to create our own version at home.
Our Spicy Rigatoni
Although we love the way that Carbone makes it, we will leave that version to the pros. This is our own twist inspired by them. We wanted to create a pasta with a creamy sauce that was more tomato forward so we could add richness in another form: sausage.
We love browning spicy Italian sausage and adding it to most pasta, pizza, and whatever else we can throw it into! It is the perfect addition to this rigatoni to make it that much heartier and more delicious. For this version, we also add onions and fennel seeds to add depth and flavor to the dish.
This pasta is warming, delicious, and the perfect plate of pasta for winter. We love serving it with other pastas or even on its own. It is hearty and filled with noodles, chunks of sausage, and so much more. The flavors are warming and a little bit spicy. It is a delicious bowl of pasta. Top it all off with parmesan cheese and some basil for one perfect bite.
How to make the Spicy Sausage Rigatoni:
To make the rigatoni, start by adding the sausage to a hot pan. Break it up with a spatula to get little chunks throughout the pan. We like the pieces to be different sizes which makes the texture of the dish more interesting. Brown the sausage until it’s nice and golden and crusty on all sides. With a slotted spoon remove the sausage and leave the remaining oil behind.
Next cook down the onions. Add the onions and fennel seeds to the oil left in the pan from cooking the sausage. The combination of these ingredients add so much flavor to the dish. Cook it all down together until the onions are translucent. Once it is browned, add in the garlic and saute for a minute.
Next add in red pepper flakes, pepper, marinara sauce, and basil. Cook together for 5 minutes until the flavors combine. Add in the cream and parmesan and stir together. Warm until it is just hot. Remove the sauce from the heat and add the sausage. Set aside.
Cook pasta in a pot until it is a few minutes before al dente. The pasta will finish cooking in the sauce. Add the very al-dente pasta and some reserved pasta water to the sauce. Cook for 2-5 minutes until the sauce is creamy. Top with parmesan cheese and basil.
Notes:
- Spice Level: To make the recipe without spice, simply swap the spicy sausage for a regular (non-spicy) Italian sausage. To make the recipe even spicier, double (or more!) the amount of red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes can also always be served on the side so people can customize the spice level themselves.
- Rigatoni: Rigatoni is a hearty noodle that stands up to the creamy sauce and sausage. Other noodles that would work well here are penne or anything larger in size. Avoid thin noodles and long noodles as they will not work as well with the chunks of sausage.
- Sausage: This dish can easily be made without the sausage. We love the addition of the sausage in this dish, but simply leave it out if not using it.
Spicy Rigatoni with Sausage
Ingredients
- 10 oz spicy Italian sausage no casing, if in casing remove from casing
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 2 sprigs basil
- ½ cup cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- 2/3 cup pasta water
- 1 lb pasta
- More basil and parmesan for topping
Instructions
- On medium high heat, place sausage in a large pan. Use a spatula to break it up into pieces about an inch to half an inch depending on the size you like. Cook until browned (3-5 minutes)
- With a slotted spoon, remove sausage pieces from pan but leave the oil behind
- In the pan with remaining oil, place in diced onion and fennel seeds. Reduce heat to medium
- Saute onion until almost translucent (around 5 minutes)
- Add in minced garlic and cook for ~1 more minute (remove excess oil)
- Add in red pepper, pepper, marinara and basil. Cook together for 5 minutes
- Add cream and parmesan, stir until combined and the sauce coats the noodles. Remove from heat. Add sausage back in
- Boil pasta according to instructions minus 2 minutes (should be very al dente)
- Reserve ⅔ cups of pasta water and strain the noodles
- Add pasta and pasta water to the sauce
- Cook pasta on medium heat until the sauce is creamy and pasta is al dente (~2-5 minutes)
- Top with more basil and parmesan cheese and serve
Entertainer’s Note:
This dish can easily be made vegetarian by removing the sausage. Just make the recipe as written but omit the sausage steps.
