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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.
Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni
Hello! My name is Krissy and I’m thrilled to be able to share this crazy delicious recipe with you! I blog over at Self Proclaimed Foodie and Ten Acre Baker, but hope to make more tasty recipes to share with you.
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.
Variations of Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni:
Rigatoni is a favorite pasta of mine because of it’s ability to hold the sauce inside the tube, but this Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni 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 Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni:
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!
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Creamy Sausage Mushroom Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rigatoni
- 1 pound ground pork
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD RECIPE! I substituted the sausage for chicken thighs. I first seared the seasoned thighs in a cast iron pan, took them out after they were cooked (10-12 min) and then followed the recipe starting from the butter/mushroom/shallot combo. DELICIOUS and full of flavor. Thank you for a regular addition to our weekly dinner meals 🙂
Would it be ok to just use 1 pound of Italian sausage rather than basically making your own within this recipe?
Yes, that should work great too! Let me know how it turns out! XOXO
I did that and it turned out fine.
I made this last night!! Followed recipe as is and was great. Was filling enough I only needed one plate so now we have enough for leftovers at lunch I am excited about!! Great recipe! 🙂
LOVE this recipe! Wish more recipes that used Italian sausage meat would offer instructions for making the sausage. I grew up in the US where finding Italian sausage was easy, sweet or hot…or extra hot if you could handle it. But now I live in Scotland and although closer to Italy, it is difficult to near impossible to easily (and inexpensively) find Italian sausage. I enjoyed your version so much, I may start using it in other recipes where I would normally have cooked some Italian sausage to add to a recipe if I was back home in the US. Thank you from a very homesick American Expat!
Thank you for These great recipes. I do have a question. Can the Alfredo sauce be frozen??
No, unfortunately. It will separate and does not taste as good.
I wanted to let you know I absolutely love this recipe! I have started to substitute ground Italian mild sausage instead of the ground pork and it truly brings out the flavors of everything else! Thank you for this awesome recipe!