Italian Sausage Rigatoni (Print Version)

Creamy tomato covered rigatoni noodles tossed with bold sausage and a cloud of Parmesan.

# Ingredients:

→ Main Ingredients

01 - 450 grams rigatoni (pasta tubes)
02 - 150 grams Parmesan cheese, shredded
03 - 360 millilitres thick cream
04 - 5 millilitres ground pepper
05 - 10 millilitres salt
06 - 5 millilitres crushed chili flakes
07 - 60 millilitres fresh oregano, sliced (or 15 millilitres dried oregano)
08 - 60 millilitres fresh basil, snipped (or 15 millilitres dried basil)
09 - 2 cans, 795 grams each, crushed or whole tomatoes
10 - 4 garlic cloves, chopped up
11 - 1 big onion, cubed
12 - 30 millilitres good olive oil
13 - 680 grams Italian sausage with the casings taken off

# Steps:

01 - Spoon the saucy pasta into bowls or onto plates. Sprinkle leftover Parmesan and extra basil on top if you fancy. Enjoy straight away.
02 - dump your drained rigatoni right into the sauce. Gently stir to cover all the pasta. Want the sauce thicker? Let it bubble for up to another 10 minutes.
03 - Pour in the cream and toss in about two-thirds of the Parmesan. Let it warm on low heat for a few minutes, stirring so it all gets creamy. Taste and tweak the seasoning if you want.
04 - Pour your tomatoes (crushed or whole) into the pan with sausage. If your tomatoes are whole, blitz them smooth first. Scatter in basil, oregano, chili flakes, salt, and some pepper. Crank up the heat till it bubbles, then turn it down and let it chill for a few minutes.
05 - As all that cooks, bring a separate pot of salty water to a boil. Toss in the rigatoni and cook till al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and keep close by.
06 - Drop the sausage meat in the pot. Smash and break it into pieces as it cooks for about 8 minutes until dark and completely done.
07 - Splash olive oil into a big heavy pot over medium heat. Tip in the chopped onion and cook, stirring every now and then, till clear and soft (about 8 minutes). Add the garlic for another minute. You'll smell it.

# Notes:

01 - Grab top-notch Italian sausage and freshly shred your Parmesan if you want the flavors to really pop.
02 - If you like a bolder taste, just let your finished sauce simmer a bit longer—up to 10 extra minutes.