Name: Creamy Rigatoni with Ground Sausage and Fennel
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Pasta
Ingredients: 1 box Riagtoni; 1 lb. ground Italian sausage; 1 jar favorite tomato sauce (I use one with sausage flavoring); 1 large yellow onion sliced; 1 bulb fennel sliced; 3 cloves chopped garlic; 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes; 1/4 cup cream (I use half n half); grated Pecorino Romano to taste; salt and pepper to taste

Creamy Rigatoni with ground sausage and fennel just might be my new go to pasta recipe!

Creamy Rigatoni with ground sausage and fennel via firsthomelovelife.com

You guys already know that I’m a huge pasta fan. I mean…who isn’t?

It’s so easy to create a great meal quickly with pasta so I always keep my pantry stocked with a large variety.

Rigatoni is a great pasta for a hearty meat sauce like this because the noodles are thick enough to stand up to the robust flavors and the texture holds its weight against the sauce without turning to mush.

Speaking of hearty sauces…

This ground sausage and fennel one just might be my new fav!

I can’t get over how easy it is to make and the flavors…

Oh. Yes.

I don’t think I’ve been this in love with a pasta dish in a while.

Fennel is one of those vegetables that you look at and think what the heck am I going to do with that?

I honestly don’t use it enough, and keep forgetting how perfectly it pairs with sausage.

I can eat an ungodly amount of this sauce…It’s seriously that good.

Just hand me a spoon and pass the Pecorino Romano. 😉

Here’s how to make it…

Creamy Rigatoni with Ground Sausage and Fennel

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Yield: 4 people 1x

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 box Riagtoni
1 lb. ground Italian sausage
1 jar favorite tomato sauce (I use one with sausage flavoring)
1 large yellow onion sliced
1 bulb fennel sliced
3 cloves chopped garlic
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup cream (I use half n half)
grated Pecorino Romano to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook Rigatoni as per package directions.
While water is boiling, heat up a pan on high and drizzle some olive oil in. Add in the ground sausage to brown.
While sausage is browning, chop your garlic and slice your onion and fennel bulb.
**Only use the bulb portion of it.

Add them to your sausage.
Toss everything around every 30 seconds to make sure your vegetables are cooking.
Add in salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Pour in the sauce and stir together. Cover and lower the heat to medium low and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
Drain your pasta, and turn the heat off your sauce. Pour the cream into the sauce and stir everything well.
You can either serve the sauce over the pasta or mix them together like I do to make sure its all coated.
Top with a nice sprinkling of Pecorino Romano and serve…Enjoy!

Category: Main Dish
Cuisine: Pasta