Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
15 oz Italian sausage, crumbled
8 oz rigatoni, uncooked
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
15 oz tomato sauce (such as tomato pasta sauce or marinara)
5 oz fresh spinach
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
Red pepper flakes to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat.
- Add the crumbled sausage and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks, until fully browned and cooked through. Drain any excess grease or liquid.
- To the same skillet, add uncooked rigatoni, chicken broth, heavy cream, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and tomato sauce.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring everything well. Once boiling, cover the skillet with a lid and let the pasta cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is al dente.
- Add the fresh spinach to the skillet and cook for another couple of minutes, stirring frequently until the spinach wilts. Alternatively, remove the skillet from heat, top with spinach, cover, and let it wilt in the residual heat for about 4 minutes.
- If you’d like a thicker sauce, cook longer. Stir everything to combine, and remove from heat.
- Season with salt, coarsely ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.
Notes
- Feel free to adjust the seasonings or add more veggies depending on your preference.
- If you’d like a thicker sauce, cook it longer.
- This dish can be made ahead and stored for up to 2 days.
- For a spicier version, increase the red pepper flakes or add hot sauce.
- For a vegetarian option, skip the sausage and replace it with a plant-based protein like lentils or a meat substitute.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 650
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 42g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 22g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 40g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
