Sausage and Rapini Pasta Recipe
This sausage and rapini pasta is a flavorful, hearty dinner that comes together in just 30 minutes! Featuring rigatoni, spicy Italian sausage, and tender rapini, this easy meal is perfect for any night of the week.
Servings 6 servings
Calories 278kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic, about 2 large cloves
- 1 pound spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- ½ cup red wine (if you don't cook with alcohol you can substitute broth)
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes from a can or chopped tomatoes in puree, undrained
- 1 bunch rapini, cleaned, trimmed of thicker stems and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3 cups rigatoni pasta
- Kosher salt (optional)
- Romano cheese, to taste
Instructions
- Fill a large pot with water and begin heating to a boil on one of the side burners. Heat oil in a large sauté pan on your main burner over medium-high heat.
- Add onions and garlic and sauté stirring often until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
- Add sausage to the pan and use a wooden spoon to break it into bite-size pieces. Stir often until brown, around 6-7 minutes.
- Add ½ cup red wine and deglaze the pan. Simmer for 1-2 minutes.
- Add can of tomatoes and stir in rapini.
- Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring periodically. While the sauce simmers, boil the pasta to al dente as per the package directions and drain when finished.
- Add the drained pasta into the pan with the sauce and stir well to combine. Taste the sauce for flavor and if necessary add a little salt. Serve immediately with a sprinkle of Romano cheese.
Video
Notes
- Use high-quality ingredients. Always cook with a good wine that you would also drink! And always opt for authentic San Marzano tomatoes — they're less acidic and have a rich, robust flavor.
- Cook pasta to al dente to ensure it holds its shape and has a slight bite, preventing it from becoming mushy. Plus, it'll absorb the sauce better, making each bite more flavorful.
- If you want your pasta to be really spicy, you can add a little crushed red pepper at the beginning with the onions and garlic and it will infuse the spicy flavor into the oil (I personally didn't do this because the spicy sausage is just the right amount of heat for me but if you love the heat, have at it!).
- Easily remove sausage casings- Use a sharp knife to slice into the casing all the way down the side of the sausage and peel back the casing while squeezing out the sausage. Then I use a wooden spoon to break it up as it cooks.
- Ingredients to prep ahead- Dice the onions, peel the garlic, and trim and wash the rapini before starting. Remove the sausage casings, and measure out your red wine and other ingredients before you start cooking to keep things moving smoothly.
- Leftovers and storage- This keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce if needed.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1048mg | Potassium: 1434mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 2018IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 4mg