Rigatoni with Chicken Sausage and Fresh Tomato Sauce
If you're looking for a quick, easy, light-ish summertime pasta dish, this. is. it.
Real Roma tomatoes. Fresh basil. Sweet chicken sausage. Sweet & spicy peppers. Garlic. Oh, boy. You guys, this one is totally worth the carbs. Not even kidding!
It tastes fresh because it basically is. It feels light because, you guessed it, it's mostly fresh, light ingredients. And, this is the big one, it's delicious because it's a perfect blend of sweet and heat that won't overpower your taste buds.
It's a real winner-winner-chicken sausage-dinner.
Enjoy!
Rigatoni with Chicken Sausage
and Fresh Tomato Sauce
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS:
3/4lb Rigatoni, no. 24 (large)
4 Tbsp Olive Oil 2 Tbsp butter 3 garlic cloves, minced 3 Calabrian Chilies, seeds included and finely minced 4 True Story Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage links, sliced thinly 4 Roma tomatoes, diced 1/4 cup diced Mama Lil’s Peppers, finely diced 2 tsp fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano 1/2 tsp red pepper flake 1.5 Tbsp honey salt + pepper 12 fresh basil leaves, sliced in thin strips
INSTRUCTIONS:
Over medium heat, add oil and butter and cook until oil is hot and butter has melted.
Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Add Calabrian chilies and saute for additional 1-2 minutes.
Add chicken sausage and cook until the sausage is just starting to brown.
Bring a pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add salt. Cook pasta. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
Add tomatoes, Mama Lil's Peppers, rosemary, thyme, oregano, red pepper flake and honey. Add pasta water. Season with salt + pepper. Stir to combine.
Lower temperature slightly and simmer sauce for 15-20 minutes. As it's simmering, the tomatoes will soften and you can break them up to further release the juices. The sauce will also reduce as it cooks. You don't want a thick sauce, but you also want enough sauce to coat the pasta.
Once the sauce has reduced, add pasta. Stir to thoroughly combine.
Remove from heat and add 3/4 of the basil leaves. Stir to combine.
Top the pasta with the remaining basil leaves and serve immediately!