Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni is a simple Italian pasta recipe that makes for an easy and delicious dinner in less than 30 minutes!

This meal is is pure comfort food that the entire family will love. If you love this recipe, you'll certainly love a similar version: Creamy Rigatoni With Mushrooms and Prosciutto.

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni is one of those quick and easy weekday dinners that everyone in my family loves. You can never go wrong with pasta, but pair it with flavorful sausage, mushrooms, and a cream sauce? You end up having a meal to remember!

The secret to perfectly cooked pasta:

Throughout the years, I've learned of a few simple tips to get the best tasting pasta.

First, you want to make sure you use plenty of water. Not enough water will leave you pasta tasting too starchy. A good rule of thumb is to ensure you have the water level an inch or two above the level of your pasta.

Salt is a key component when cooking pasta. It is much better to salt the water and infuse it into the pasta during the cooking process, rather than to overly salt later. I will typically add about a tablespoon of kosher salt per pound of pasta.

Finally, you must keep the water boiling. As soon as the pasta is added to the water, the boil will subside but it will quickly come back. You want to maintain the most vigorous boil possible without having it spill over the edge of the pot.

Recipe variations:

Rigatoni is a favorite pasta of mine because of it's ability to hold the sauce inside the tube, but this recipe can really be made with any type of pasta.

• Homemade pasta would be ideal, but don't be afraid to use any kind of pasta you already have in your pantry. No need for an extra trip to the store!
• Add some green! Raw spinach added to the sauce when the sausage is added back in would be a great variation on this recipe. Not only will it add more fiber and vitamins, but that vibrant green spinach will wilt down to add just the right amount of flavor and color.
• This meal could easily transform into a Keto meal if you swap the rigatoni pasta for some zucchini zoodles.
• Instead of pork and all of the Italian sausage seasonings, you can easily use ground beef to turn this meal into something more reminiscent of a beef stroganoff.
• If you don't have heavy cream, you could use half and half, whole milk, or even lowfat milk. Because the heavy cream thickens on its own as it cooks, you may need to make a roux out of butter and flour before adding the half and half or milk if you want it to thicken, though.

What to serve with it:

I'm a big fan of serving a fresh green salad with pretty much every dinner recipe. Especially when serving a decadent pasta meal like this one.

I'll never argue with a side of garlic bread or cheesy bread either!

Related recipes:

Looking for more creamy and cheesy pasta dishes? Here are some great options.

• Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
• Cheesy Baked Rigatoni Pasta
• Dozen Veggie Pasta Primavera
• Cheesy Sausage Pasta Bake

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni Recipe

Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni is a simple Italian pasta recipe that makes for an easy and delicious dinner in less than 30 minutes!

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Hover to scale: 6 servings

Chef: Krissy Allori

Ingredients

• ▢ 16 ounces rigatoni
• ▢ 1 pound ground pork
• ▢ 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fennel seed
• ▢ ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like heat)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 16 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
• ▢ 1 large shallot (diced)
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• ▢ salt and pepper (to taste)
• ▢ aged parmesan (grated for garnish)
• ▢ fresh basil (sliced thin for garnish)

Instructions

• Bring large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat. Add rigatoni and cook to desired doneness (I prefer slightly al dente). Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in large heavy bottom skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat, cook ground pork, paprika, fennel, kosher salt, and red pepper flakes until sausage is browned and crumbly. This should take about 5-8 minutes. Remove from pan and set on paper towel lined plate.
• In same pan, melt butter. Add mushrooms and shallot. Continue cooking over high heat, stirring only occasionally, so that you get a nice brown sear. When mushrooms and shallot are just about done, add garlic, stir, and cook for another minute.
• Add heavy whipping cream to mushroom mixture, stir well, and allow to come to a boil. Reduce heat until mixture is at a gentle simmer and allow to cook uncovered until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add cooked sausage back into the cream sauce and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• To serve, ladel mushroom sausage cream sauce over cooked rigatoni and garnish with grated parmesan and fresh basil ribbons.

NUTRITION INFORMATION

Calories: 794kcal | Carbohydrates: 62g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Cholesterol: 168mg | Sodium: 293mg | Potassium: 725mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1810IU | Vitamin C: 3.2mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 2.4mg

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This post was originally created for the Recipe Critic where I'm a contributor