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creamy rigatoni with veggies & italian sausage

(1 rating)
cookinginillinois avatar
Recipe by
Rose Mary Mogan
@cookinginillinois
Sauk Village, IL

This is a dish my husband & I made together as I continue to recover from Pneumonia. He suggested we cook together, so I became his Sous Chef in chopping everything we needed to create this dish. I knew in my head what I wanted to do, but didn't know if it would turn out okay or not, I wanted lots of vegetables in the dish, a sort of meal in one so to speak. I wanted to add the sausage links cut up but knew my husband would appreciate having the sausage links on a bun. As a compromise I cut up 3 of the links & left the other 5 whole, which made both of us happy. The taste was great.

(1 rating)
yield serving(s)
prep time 20 Min
cook time 1 Hr 5 Min
method Stove Top

Ingredients For creamy rigatoni with veggies & italian sausage

  • 1 lb
    rigatoni pasta ( or pasta of choice)
  • 8 oz
    canned sliced mushrooms( drained)
  • 1 pt
    grape tomatoes
  • 1 lg
    red bell pepper (large chop)
  • 1 lg
    green bell pepper (large chop)
  • 2 md
    yellow onions, chopped
  • 1 bunch
    green onions chopped (reserve about 1/3 cup for garnish)
  • 5 stalk
    celery, chopped
  • 8 oz
    softened cream cheese (cubed) regular or low fat
  • 1 1/4 c
    grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 Tbsp
    italian seasoning
  • 1 1/2 c
    heavy whipping cream (or use half & half) more if you like more creamy
  • 1/2 stick
    butter
  • 1 Tbsp
    olive or canola oil
  • salt & pepper to taste if desired
  • 4-5 clove
    garlic minced
  • 2 lb
    lean italian sausage links (about 2 pounds)

How To Make creamy rigatoni with veggies & italian sausage

  • 1
    CHOP FRESH VEGGIES AND ADD TO LARGE MEASURING CUP. Should have close to 8 cups of veggies when done. If you were to add the drained sliced mushrooms.
  • 2
    Add the sausage links to a large skillet and brown on all sides. add a little olive or canola oil if needed. When browned, then pour in about 2 cups of water or chicken or beef broth, cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer on low for about 20 to 25 minutes.
  • 3
    Cook pasta Al Dente about 2-3 minutes under recommended time listed on package, then rinse and set aside, add 2 to 3 pats of butter or a drizzle of olive oil to prevent pasta from sticking together. Stir and set aside till needed.
  • 4
    Now to a large pot add the 1/2 stick butter and oil, over medium high heat, then add the chopped veggies & minced garlic when hot, reserving the grape tomatoes till later, and cook until veggies are transparent and tender about 7 to 8 minutes.
  • 5
    Now add the pasta, grape tomatoes, drained sliced mushrooms & Italian seasoning in with the veggies.
  • 6
    Stir in the cubed cream cheese, and carefully stir to mix together as cream cheese begins to melt.
  • 7
    Add the heavy whipping cream, Parmesan cheese and stir until mixture is mixed together & creamy. The residual heat from the pasta will cook the tomatoes just until heated through. Remove from heat. Taste and add salt & pepper if desired.
  • 8
    Add pasta to a large serving platter, and top with whole sausage links, or cut links on the diagonal and add to pasta. Garnish with reserved Chopped green onions if desired. Add additional grated parmesan if desired. serve and enjoy.
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