Rigatoni and Sausage with Tomato Cream Sauce

Rigatoni and sausage in a tomato cream sauce with white wine, cream, garlic, onions and red pepper flakes. Such a delicious comfort food dinner.

If you're in the mood for pasta, you should try Baked Rigatoni, and Baked Ziti with Sausage.

Rigatoni noodles have slight ridges in them. These ridges help the sauce to adhere to the noodle.

And, this is a very good thing in this recipe, because the tomato cream sauce is Ahhhhmazing......

White wine, tomato paste, heavy cream, half and half, and minced garlic come together beautifully to form a creamy, very flavorful mixture with the pasta.

Is Rigatoni a Macaroni?

Macaroni is just another shape of pasta.  Rigatoni is larger than elbow macaroni and it has ridges in it.

Are Rigatoni and Ziti the same?

Ziti is more of a long narrow tube shaped noodle, rather than a shorter, wider noodle like rigatoni.

Can I use Rigatoni for Baked Ziti?

Yes!  Since they are both tube shaped pastas, the sauce and cheese will fill the rigatoni noodle as well as the ziti noodle.

We LOVED this dish.  Hope you enjoy it as well!!

Update (9/19/19):  We have made this dish many times now and continue to feel like we are eating at a fancy, 5 star Italian restaurant when I serve this dish to my family.  I think its the white wine and fennel that up the gourmet factor.

But, you guys, please believe me when I tell you, this is a really easy dish to put together for a midweek dinner.  You can also easily keep it warming in the dutch oven or crockpot if family members have to eat at different times due to after school activities.

Go ahead, put this on your "to make soon" list.  You will not regret it.  So, so good.

You might also like:

Pasta Soup

Mushroom Marsala Pasta Bake

SAVE THIS RIGATONI AND SAUSAGE WITH TOMATO CREAM SAUCE RECIPE TO YOUR "PASTA" PINTEREST BOARD!

And, let's be friends on Pinterest!  I'm pinning delicious recipes all the time.

5 from 3 votes

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Rigatoni and Sausage with Tomato Cream Sauce

Rigatoni and sausage in a tomato cream sauce is one of our favorite pasta dishes. This is also on our favorite comfort foods and dinners lists.

Course pasta

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Servings 10

Calories 588 kcal

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups chopped fennel bulb
• 1 ½ cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
• 1 ½ lbs mild Italian sausage (ground or whole sausage with casing removed)
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp crushed whole fennel seeds
• ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ⅔ cup half and half
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 lb rigatoni
• ½ cup chopped parsley leaves
• 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Over medium heat, heat olive oil in a dutch oven.  Add the chopped fennel and onion and saute, stirring occasionally for 7 minutes, until tender.

2. Add the sausage to the dutch oven and break up with a wooden spoon.  Cook for about 8 minutes, until sausage is browned, breaking up the meat and stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper, and let cook for 1 minutes.

3. Pour in the white wine, and bring to a boil.  Then add in the heavy cream, half and half, and tomato paste.  Bring mixture back to a boil.  Lower heat and let mixture simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.

4. While sausage and sauce is simmering, boil water, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook rigatoni according to package instructions (usually 10 minutes in boiling water).

5. Drain noodles, and add to the sauce, stir to coat the pasta.  Remove dutch oven from heat and stir in parsley and parmesan cheese.  Serve immediately.  Oh my goodness, so good!!

Recipe Notes

Adapted from Ina Garten on Food Network