Italian Sausage Rigatoni

Warm, wonderful and rich sauce flavored with Italian sausage, onion, garlic, spices, red wine and plum tomatoes. Italian Sausage Rigatoni is the ultimate comfort meal that’s delicious any time of year. Serve with warm baked bread and a crisp, fresh salad.

Pasta is one of my ultimate comfort meals. I love the way it creates a warm and welcoming smell as it fills your whole house while simmering away on the stove. The aromatics of the onion and garlic and that bold, rich flavor of the wine adds so much depth to this sauce. I love how the Italian sausage and big chunks of plum tomatoes add hardiness to the dish. Every bite just gets better and better.

The flavors in the sauce are delicious! On top of adding red wine to my sauce lately, I also really like the addition of pesto. I think it gives the sauce another layer of flavor and of course as it sits overnight (if you have any leftover) all of the flavors blend together even more. Although this sauce takes a little longer than just heating up a store bought jar of marinara on the stove, it’s nice to have that welcoming smell in the house, the hardiness of the sauce and the ultimate homemade comfort dish from time to time, don’t you think?!

Ingredients for Italian Sausage Rigatoni: 

• Plum Tomatoes
• Rigatoni
• Dry Red Wine
• Onion
• Garlic
• Olive Oil
•  Hot Italian Sausage
• Dried Oregano
• Tomato Paste
• Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Pesto (Optional)
• Parmesan Cheese

Lance and I love a good pasta night especially on those really busy weekdays we have. It’s so easy to grab a jar of marinara and boil some pasta for a quick dinner, however, this homemade sauce is definitely worth making! It’s so easy to prepare, ready in under an hour (most of the time simmering away on the stove top), and you’ll have leftovers for days or plenty to feed your family!

Lately, life seems to be extra busy, but really isn’t that how summer always goes?! There’s weekends at my parent’s camp, finalizing the last minute wedding planning details, enjoying the nice weather outside, trying to commit to zumba 2 nights a week, renting our home this summer on Air BnB, and spending time with Lance at least 1 night a week for date night. I guess I broke my New Year’s Resolution with committing to the simple life, but planning a wedding and getting married will make life a little crazy for a while!

Although Lance and I have a full plate, I still LOVE to make time to cook for us. I’ve bought that jarred marinara many times (lol), but now that I have someone to cook for, I love having a homemade meal for us to enjoy, even if it’s the only thing we enjoyed all day. Cooking is an enjoyable challenge for me, and when I sit down at the table, taste that first bite and (thankfully) get it just right, I feel like the weight of the day has just been lifted off my shoulders.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE RIGATONI: 

• Freshly Baked Bread with butter or you can dip your bread in olive oil and balsamic vinegar
• Garlic Bread – store bought or homemade
• Toss Garden Salad or Caesar Salad
• Cut up veggies and dressing
• Steamed or grilled veggies

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Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 45 Minutes
Total Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

1 box (16 ounces) dried rigatoni pasta

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 whole hot Italian sausages, casings removed

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 (28 oz) cans whole plum tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato sauce

1/2 cup dry red wine

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons prepared pesto

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Pasta:

Cook pasta according to packaged directions. Drain and set aside.

Sauce:

While pasta is cooking heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add diced onion, stir and cook until soft (about 5 minutes). Add hot Italian sausage and minced garlic. Using a wooden spoon break up the Italian sausage. Cook until sausage is cooked through and no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine and bring to a simmer. Then add the salt, pepper, oregano and stir. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons prepared pesto and stir until combined.

Assemble:

Add pasta to the pot and stir or add pasta to individual serving bowls and ladle pasta on top. Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Recipe adapted from:
https://foodnessgracious.com/italian-sausage-rigatoni/

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