This simple, hearty rigatoni recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner! It comes together in just over 30 minutes and has an incredible depth of flavor from the sausage-infused sauce. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Fast and Flavorful Rigatoni with Sausage
Besides being comforting and immensely flavorful, this rigatoni recipe is also easy to make and super filling (especially when paired with a salad and garlic knots or breadsticks!).
It’s made with a homemade, meat-infused marinara sauce that’s flavored with sautéed onion and garlic, Italian sausage, and spices. Just before serving, we’ll stir in just enough cream and cheese to enrich the sauce without making it too rich.
What’s to Love:
- Great weeknight dinner recipe! It’s low-fuss and can be on the table in under 45 minutes.
- Richly flavored sauce that is not only 100% homemade, but tastes even better than your favorite jarred store-bought sauce.
- Customizable–swap the sausage for ground beef or ground chicken, use your favorite type of pasta (even gluten-free works here!), toss in some spinach or mushrooms, add more crushed red pepper for a bit of spice, etc.
- Accessible for any home cook. Despite the restaurant-quality flavor, my rigatoni recipe is simple (no fancy techniques, no complicated steps) with a few basic ingredients and no fancy tools needed.
What You Need
- Rigatoni. Rigatoni’s wide, tubular shape and ridged exterior is perfect for this recipe, because it catches all of the sauce and stands up to its hearty texture. You could substitute another similarly shaped pasta, like penne or ziti, but I think rigatoni works best (plus, I mean, this recipe is called “rigatoni”).
- Sausage. Use your favorite type of sausage (sweet or spicy), or you can even substitute ground beef, chicken, or turkey. For a vegetarian pasta, you can skip the meat entirely, but you will need to add in some flavor enhancers (veggies like mushrooms or eggplant would be great!) since much of the flavor in this dish comes from the sausage.
- Spices. Besides the Italian seasoning blend, we’ll be adding some additional basil, onion powder, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes. You can leave out the crushed red pepper flakes if you don’t care for the heat, though I find this amount is mild enough for most people, even my kids.
- Cream. We’ll use a splash of heavy cream, double cream, or whipping cream to add a subtle richness and thickness to the sauce. Don’t substitute milk or your sauce could curdle!
- Parmesan. A sprinkling of parmesan in our sauce helps to thicken it and adds a lovely savory flavor. You can always add more on top for garnish when serving too!
This is an overview of the ingredients only, please scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe!
SAM’S TIP: Don’t skip the sugar! A small amount of offsets the acidity of the tomatoes to allow their true flavor to shine (just like in my tomato soup and cherry tomato sauce). It won’t make your sauce sweet.
How to Make Rigatoni
- Step 1: Boil the pasta. Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and set it aside.
- Step 2: Cook the aromatics. Saute the onion in a separate pot (preferably an enameled Dutch oven–it needs to be big enough to hold the pasta and the sauce) until softened. Add the garlic and cook very briefly until fragrant, being careful not to let it burn.
- Step 3: Brown the sausage Add the sausage and crumble as you go until it is browned and cooked through. I like to break the sausage up into bite sized (or smaller) pieces so it blends into the sauce nicely. I’ve never needed to drain off any grease, but if your sausage is overly greasy, feel free to.
- Step 4: Stir in tomatoes & spices & simmer. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, and spices, then let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes. Simmering helps the flavor develop and allows the sauce to thicken up a bit. Don’t skip it!
- Step 5: Add the pasta. Add your cooked rigatoni and stir to combine. Be gentle here–you don’t want to destroy the noodles!
- Step 6: Add cream and cheese. Drizzle in the cream and sprinkle the parmesan overtop. Stir until well combined and cheese is melted, then enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: If you’d like to amp up the veggies in this dish, you can toss in about 2 cups of fresh baby spinach when you add the cream and parmesan. It will wilt into the sauce beautifully!
Frequently Asked Questions
While pasta dishes aren’t my favorite for reheating (the noodles just don’t maintain their texture), this rigatoni still tastes great the second day. My preferred method for reheating is to put it in a large skillet, add a splash of water or broth, and reheat over low heat.
Remember to salt your water and stay near your pot! Overcooked pasta just doesn’t taste as good as pasta that’s cooked properly. To avoid this, check your pasta as it approaches the box’s recommended time for al dente and drain it as soon as it is ready.
Penne is a short, tubular pasta with ridges similar to those on rigatoni; however, penne is more narrow and has ends that are cut on an angle, so they come to a point. Both work well for pretty much any sauce, but they are especially great for thicker sauces (like my penne alla vodka!).
Ziti is another short, tubular pasta. It is narrow like penne, but typically thicker than both penne and rigatoni and almost always has a smooth exterior. Like rigatoni, ziti works well in baked pasta dishes (check out my baked ziti recipe!).
More Italian-Inspired Dinners
Interested in more easy weeknight dinners? Check out my BBQ chicken meatballs or crispy chicken tacos!
Enjoy!
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Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 12 oz dry rigatoni noodles see note 1
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (140 g) medium onion diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 lb (453 g) mild Italian sausage see note 2
- 28 oz (793 g) can crushed tomatoes
- 8 oz (226 g) can tomato sauce
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream see note 3
- ¼ cup (25 g) grated parmesan cheese
Recommended Equipment
- Dutch oven or large pan
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions (cook in salted, boiling water until al dente). Drain well and set aside.12 oz dry rigatoni noodles
- Meanwhile, begin preparing sauce by heating olive oil in a Dutch oven (or large pan) over medium heat.2 Tablespoons olive oil
- Once oil is shimmering, add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened (about 3-5 minutes).1 (140 g) medium onion
- Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- Add sausage and cook, crumbling, until browned.1 lb (453 g) mild Italian sausage
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, Italian seasoning, dried basil, onion powder, table salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes and stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes.28 oz (793 g) can crushed tomatoes, 8 oz (226 g) can tomato sauce, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon dried basil, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon table salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Add prepared, drained rigatoni noodles to the pot and stir to combine.
- Add heavy cream and parmesan and stir until thoroughly combined and cheese is melted.⅓ cup (80 ml) heavy cream, ¼ cup (25 g) grated parmesan cheese
- Serve warm with a side salad and/or slice of crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Teresa
Just a tip from an Italian living in Italy. The pasta is the last thing to be cooked…always. You can make the sauce in advance, like the morning for dinner, but the pasta is always cooked last otherwise it will lose its bite.
Derrik
Another great recipe! I will make it again, however, I might leave out the heavy cream. I like the bright red color.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Derrik! Thank you for trying my recipe! 🙂
Sarah
Hi Sam! Wonderful recipe. Made this for Valentine’s Day dinner and loved it! Thanks for a keeper! The flavors were delicious adding the cream and parmesan were perfection. Followed recipe as stated!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you enjoyed the Rigatoni, Sarah! Sounds like the perfect Valentine’s Day dinner 😊
michael j. hyatt
Very special. This is next level comfort food. I couldn’t get the heavy cream so I mixed together some bechamel. Worked just fine.
Missy
I made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. My family loved it so I will definitely be making it again. Thanks for another easy and quick dinner recipe!
Amy Wonder
Can I use ground beef and italian sausage?
Sam
That should work if that’s what you prefer. 🙂
mbh
Every recipe is a winner!! Thank you Sam. Congrats on the baby!!
Sam
Thank you so much! 🙂
Daniel J
Looks like a good recipe. Health-wise, though, I’d leave out the heavy cream and sugar. No need for either.
Sam
I hope you love it, Daniel! The sugar helps balance the acidity of the tomatoes and the cream adds a subtle depth that I think really sets this dish apart, so I certainly wouldn’t say there’s no need for it, but we all have our own preferences and how great is it that we can adjust recipes to suit our own tastes 🙂
Mary-Jo Gannon
Have been making this recipe since it was published here and is always a favorite! Had again for dinner last night.
Sam
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed it so much, Mary-Jo! 🙂
Jerri O'Rorke
Sam, I so enjoy all your recipes and your videos. You make everything you cook look so good and easy to prepare. Thank you for your hard work
Sam
Thank you so much for your kind comment, Jerri! I am so thrilled that you have been enjoying the recipes and videos, thank you so much for commenting! <3