Italian Sausage Rigatoni....a quick & easy weekday dinner!
30 minutes, 2 pots, 8 ingredients and voila.....dinner! That's what makes Italian Sausage Rigatoni so great on a busy night or at the end of a taxing day. It's the perfect answer to "what's for dinner"? The ingredients are easily found and the techniques are simple. It's nice to have some recipes that are uncomplicated that you can throw together quickly and yet they are tasty and nutritious.
What is rigatoni pasta?
Rigatoni, which comes from the Italian word "rigato", which means ridged, are short tubes of pasta that have ridges on the outside and are smooth on the inside. They are great to use with chunkier sauces, because the ridges and wide center grab a lot of sauce. Similar to penne, they are larger and wider with straight cut ends, where as penne is smaller and cut on a slant. Rigatoni is often considered a superior pasta shape because of its texture and structure, which is very good at holding chunky and meat based sauces.
Rigatoni is often used with thick rustic sauces, such as bolognese or a rich alfredo sauce. This recipe sticks to the tradition by using crushed tomatoes and chunks of Italian sausage. Rigatoni pasta with its ridges makes a perfect surface for these types of sauces to coat.
What pairs well with Italian sausage rigatoni?
A nice green garden salad with Italian dressing a a loaf of KitchenAid Easy Garlic Pull-Apart Bread makes a perfect weeknight meal.
What to do if your tomato sauce is runny?
Don't panic! Just simmer the sauce a little longer to cook it down. Evaporation is a wonderful thing. Sometimes I grate some Parmesan cheese into it to help thicken it.
What to do with leftovers (if you have any)!
Store any leftover sausage rigatoni in your fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven at 350F until warmed through.
Another Quick Dinner Recipe -
Best Chicken Piccata - Simple and Delicious
PrintQuick & Easy Italian Sausage Rigatoni
Easy and quick.......sometimes that's a good thing on a busy night or after an exhausting day.
Ingredients
1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil
12 ounces Italian sausages cut in 1 inch chunks
½ medium yellow onion, minced
1 - 2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 28 oz. can of peeled tomatoes (San Marzano are my personal favorites)
¼ c. Italian dressing
1 16 ounce package of rigatoni pasta
Parmesan and chopped fresh basil for topping
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
Add the sausage chunks and brown them over medium heat.
Add the minced onion and cook till translucent.
Add minced garlic and oregano, cook for 1 minute.
Add canned peeled tomatoes and Italian dressing. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook rigatoni pasta according to directions. Drain and add to sauce.
Let simmer for 5 minutes.
Serve. Garnish with Parmesan and fresh basil.
Notes
Reserve a little pasta water to thin sauce if it gets too thick.
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