Creamy Rigatoni with Sausage and Red Peppers
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Creamy Rigatoni with Sausage and Red Peppers: This easy Creamy Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe is quick to make and full of delicious Italian flavors.
Bonus… It’s a lightened-up version that you can feel good about serving to your family!
I have a new recipe to share! Yum… this lightened-up version of Creamy Rigatoni with Sausage and Red Peppers is so good!
I’ve never actually cooked Italian sausages in casings before. I’ve always just bought ground or precooked/smoked sausage. The good news is that uncooked sausage is definitely easy to cook, and this recipe was fabulous! (I admit, I did break out my digital thermometer for the sausage; I have a major fear of undercooking meats.)
How to make Creamy Rigatoni with Sausage and Red Peppers
1 Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions.
2 Cook sausage: In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage according to package directions. (Mine said to brown over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or so, then add a half cup of water, cover with a lid, and simmer for 12 minutes.) Once the sausages are cooked, remove them from heat and cut them into 1/4 to 1/2-inch slices.
3 Saute veggies: Add the red peppers, onions, mushrooms, and garlic to a skillet and saute with oil for about 3 minutes. Add the sausage back to the pan along with the Italian seasoning, and cook for a few more minutes.
4 Make the cream sauce: In a measuring cup, whisk together flour and milk until smooth; stir into skillet with sausage and veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to a boil; simmer until thickened.
5 Add pasta and parmesan cheese: Once the pasta has finished cooking, drain and add to skillet along with Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.
Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
I like to reserve about a cup of the pasta liquid and add a small amount at a time to the finished sauce along with the parmesan cheese. (I just add as much as needed until I am happy with the sauce.) Makes for a silkier, more plentiful sauce.
Did You Make Creamy Rigatoni with Sausage and Red Peppers?
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PrintCreamy Rigatoni with Sausage and Red Peppers
Ingredients
- 8 oz uncooked rigatoni, plus salt for the water
- 8 oz uncooked Italian-style sausages
- 2 Tbs olive oil
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms (I left the mushrooms out, but I bet they would make the recipe even better!)
- 4 fresh garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large red pepper, diced
- 1/4 cup raw onion, sliced
- 1 tbsp of Italian seasoning
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup(s) milk
- 1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 3 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage according to package directions. (Mine said to brown over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes or so, then add a half cup of water, cover with lid and simmer for 12 minutes.)
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions.
- Once the sausages are cooked, remove them from heat and cut them into 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices.
- Add red peppers, onions, mushrooms and garlic to skillet and saute with oil for about 3 minutes. Add sausage and Italian seasoning, cook for a few more minutes.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together flour and milk until smooth; stir into skillet with sausage and veggies. Add salt and pepper to taste. Bring sauce to a boil; simmer until thickened.
- Once pasta has finished cooking, drain and add to skillet along with Parmesan cheese. Toss to coat.
- Serve and enjoy!