Description
Creamy garlic sausage alfredo rigatoni brings Italian comfort straight to your dinner table with its rich, cheesy sauce and hearty pasta. Each forkful delivers a luxurious blend of savory sausage and silky alfredo that promises pure culinary satisfaction.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta:
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Sausage and Meat:
- 1 lb garlic sausage
- 0.5 lb ground pork
Dairy and Sauce:
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan cheese
- 0.5 cup mozzarella cheese
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp butter
Seasonings:
- 1 tsp salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water, add a pinch of salt, and bring to a rolling boil over high heat for the rigatoni.
- While water heats, slice garlic sausage into thin rounds and crumble ground pork into small pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then brown sausage and ground pork until fully cooked and slightly crispy, about 6-8 minutes.
- Drop rigatoni into boiling water and cook until al dente, typically 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Mince garlic cloves finely and set aside.
- In the same skillet with cooked meat, reduce heat to medium-low and add butter, allowing it to melt completely.
- Stir in minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn.
- Pour heavy cream into the skillet, stirring continuously to combine with meat and garlic.
- Sprinkle in salt, black pepper, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes, mixing thoroughly.
- Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water, and return rigatoni to the pot.
- Pour cream sauce with meat over pasta, adding reserved pasta water to help create a smooth consistency.
- Gradually fold in parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, stirring until fully melted and sauce becomes creamy.
- Let sit for 2-3 minutes to allow flavors to meld and sauce to thicken slightly.
- Serve hot, garnishing with additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Toast the sausage and ground pork at high heat to develop deep caramelized flavor and crispy texture.
- Reserve pasta water helps create silky, emulsified sauce that clings perfectly to rigatoni’s ridges.
- Use freshly grated parmesan for superior melting and richer cheese flavor compared to pre-packaged options.
- Customize heat levels by adjusting red pepper flakes, making dish friendly for spice-sensitive palates.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Lunch, Dinner
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 859
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 917 mg
- Fat: 56 g
- Saturated Fat: 22 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 28 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 33 g
- Cholesterol: 145 mg