Chicken Sausage Rigatoni

with Bell Pepper & Parmesan
A rich, creamy tomato sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 bell peppers
  • 2 scallions
  • Cooking oil
  • 18 oz Italian chicken sausage mix
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 12 oz rigatoni pasta
  • 2 Tbsp Italian seasoning
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. sugar
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 8 oz cream sauce base, such as this one
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 6 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.
  2. Core, deseed, and dice bell pepper. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens.
  3. Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and cook until lightly browned and slightly softened, 3-4 minutes.
  4. Add sausage and scallion whites. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Once water is boiling, add rigatoni to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water and drain.
  6. While pasta cooks, stir Italian seasoning, tomato paste, and sugar into pan with sausage mixture until coated. Pour in water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute, then reduce heat to low.
  7. Add cream sauce base to pan with sauce. Stir in butter until melted. Season with salt and pper.
  8. Add drained rigatoni to pan with sauce; toss to coat. If needed, stir in reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
  9. Divide pasta between bowls and top with Parmesan. Garnish with scallion greens and serve.

4 servings