A Bowl of this sausage pasta is pure comfort. Rigatoni is a tubular-shaped pasta, that holds the sauce well. My daughter especially loves this pasta shape. But you can use any shape of pasta.
Rigatoni – These are tube-like pasta. You can also use any other shape of pasta of your preference. Sausage – Fresh Italian sausage ground or link sausage. I have used mild Italian Sausage. Remove the casing and crumble. Spinach – Chopped spinach or if using frozen, thaw it and squeeze excess water from it. kale is also a good alternative. Seasoning and spices – Fennel is widely used in Italian cuisine. Crush fennel roughly in a mortar and pestle to release some of its oil. Chilli flakes for heat. Italian seasoning and pepper. Onion and garlic Olive oil Flour – to thicken the sauce. Cream – heavy cream for a rich sauce. For a lighter version can use half and half. Dry white wine – I love the complex flavor that White wine gives. Reduce white wine to half the quantity until the alcohol smell is gone. Chicken stock Freshly grated parmesan
Saute onion and garlic in hot oil until aromatic. Cook ground sausage ( if using link sausage, remove the casing and break it into smaller chunks with the back of a spatula). Midway through, add crushed fennel, pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and pepper. Brown the sausage. Deglaze the pan with wine, and scrub the bottom of the pan to release any brown bits. Once the wine has reduced to less than half, stir in the flour and cook for a minute Next is to add chicken stock, cream give everything a mix. Add chopped spinach and freshly grated parmesan. Mix well. Add cooked pasta. Switch off the flame and toss everything well. To adjust the sauce consistency add more pasta cooking water.
