Description
A creamy, rich, and satisfying one-pan meal featuring rigatoni, Italian sausage, and fresh spinach, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 15 oz Italian sausage, crumbled
- 8 oz rigatoni, uncooked
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or Herbs de Provence)
- 15 oz tomato sauce (pasta sauce or marinara)
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- Salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet.
- Add the crumbled sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up, until fully cooked. Drain excess grease if needed.
- To the same skillet, add uncooked rigatoni, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce.
- Bring to a boil, stirring well. Cover and cook on medium heat for 10–15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente.
- Incorporate the spinach and cook for a couple of minutes until wilted.
- Optional: Remove from heat, top with spinach, cover, and let it wilt in the residual heat for about 4 minutes. Stir to combine, and cook a bit longer for a thicker sauce if desired.
- Season with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
Notes
For a vegetarian version, replace the sausage with sautéed mushrooms. Enhance flavor with fresh herbs or a splash of white wine.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 5g
- Sodium: 800mg
- Fat: 40g
- Saturated Fat: 20g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 80mg
Keywords: creamy pasta, one-pan meal, weeknight dinner, Italian sausage, rigatoni