Spicy Sausage & Kale Rigatoni

A rustic, 30-minute pasta recipe of Italian sausage and kale with a simple but unbelievably delicious sauce made with pasta water, butter and parmesan cheese.

OK, like, this looks pretty good, right? Maybe not OMGGETINMYBELLY drool-inducing good, but it looks alright, right?

Well, lemme tell y’all something… it tastes so much better than it looks!! This recipe is deceivingly delicious and it might be my new favorite thing right now. OK, it definitely is my new favorite thing right now.

I’m already plotting to make it with chicken sausage and mushrooms. And then maybe sweet Italian sausage and broccolini. And then maybe back to this version again.

And guess what?? It’s so easy and DONE in 30 minutes. I’m talking, turn the stove on then 30 minutes later you’re filling your face at the table.

You can’t really tell it in the pics but this is way saucier than it looks. The salty, starchy pasta water emulsifies with the butter, then the parmesan cheese melts right into it making a silky, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta.

Serve with hot crusty bread and a simple salad. When I'm in a hurry but still want to put something fresh on the table, I very often toss together tomatoes, onion and cucumber with a splash of mild vinegar (rice wine, apple cider or red wine vinegars are great) then sprinkle with coarse-grain salt.

WHY DOES PASTA WATER MAKE A BETTER SAUCE?

The short answer? Science.

When prepared correctly, the starch in the hot pasta water expands and bursts which binds it to the fat present (butter, olive oil, rendered pan drippings, etc.). This emulsifies the combo on a molecular level without having to apply friction. 

You know what else is starchy? The pasta itself. So when you add the hot pasta to the pan, the sauce literally binds itself to the pasta. No watery puddles underneath or fat separated on top of the pasta here!

HOW DO YOU MAKE SILKY, GLOSSY SAUCE FROM PASTA WATER?

There is a simple, but specific order to follow to turn pasta water into a rich, glossy sauce: hot pasta water then fat (typically butter or olive oil) then cheese (if using) then pasta.

Original, authentic, Italian pasta alfredo doesn’t include cream. It is simply pasta water brought to a simmer with butter slowly added until melted and incorporated, then parmesan cheese stirred in the same way as the butter, then pasta is added to cook a minute or two to bind the sauce to the pasta.

So, to reiterate (because it has to go in this order) it’s:

1. START WITH HOT SALTY, STARCHY PASTA WATER
2. STIR IN FAT (USUALLY BUTTER OR OLIVE OIL)
3. STIR IN CHEESE (IF USING)
4. ADD HOT PASTA THEN COOK IN THE SAUCE A COUPLE MINUTES

A FEW NOTES ABOUT SPICY SAUSAGE & KALE RIGATONI

This doesn’t have to be spicy. Simply use regular or sweet Italian sausage, omit the red pepper flakes, and reduce black pepper to 1/4 teaspoon.

Do measure the water and salt. Too much water means less starch. Too much salt means the sauce will be too salty. Speaking of… I actually use 2 teaspoons of salt in this and think it’s perfect but I tend to like things on the salty side so I wrote the recipe for 1.5 teaspoons.

Grate your own parmesan cheese. This isn’t one of those recipes you can use the stuff in the green can. Or even the preshredded cheese in a pouch or plastic container. 4 ounces of parmesan yields about 2 cups finely shredded cheese.

The only downside to this type of pasta recipe is that it is BEST when first prepared. Most pasta dishes get better the longer they rest and some are even better the next day. This is not one of those. 

If you think you will have leftovers or will not be able to serve this immediately after preparing, save more pasta water, heat it to almost boiling in the microwave, then stir into pasta before reheating. Use enough to loosen the pasta and just cover the bottom of the pan then heat over medium heat until bubbly.

You do not have to use kale. You can omit it or use fresh spinach.

Blanched or sauteed broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, red peppers, broccolini and/or onions would all be great additions. 

You can use any rigid, tubular pasta in this recipe.

Recipe for Spicy Sausage Kale Rigatoni Pasta

Spicy Sausage & Kale Rigatoni

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Yield: 6 Servings

Author: Mandy Rivers | South Your Mouth

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 25 MinTotal time: 30 Min

A rustic, EASY pasta dish of Italian sausage and kale with a simple but unbelievably delicious sauce made with pasta water, butter and parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

• 2.5 quarts water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 4 cups (12-oz) rigatoni pasta, uncooked
• 1.25 lbs spicy Italian sausage
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups pasta water
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 8 cups chopped kale
• 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

Instructions

1. Bring water and salt to a full rolling boil. TIP: if your stove takes forever to boil water, cover the pot with a fitted lid while heating. 2.5 quarts water, 2 tsp salt
2. While water is heating, cook and crumble sausage over medium-high heat in a large skillet until browned and crispy (be careful not to let the pan burn). Do not drain. 1.25 lbs spicy Italian sausage, casings removed if applicable
3. Reduce heat to low then add garlic, red pepper and black pepper. Continue cooking for 1 minute then turn off heat. 2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste), 1/2 tsp black pepper
4. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than manufacturer’s instructions for al dente preparation. Remove from heat then ladle out 2 cups hot pasta water. 4 cups uncooked rigatoni pasta
5. Add hot pasta water to sausage then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, add butter one tablespoon at a time then cook and stir for 2 minutes. 6 Tbsp butter
6. Drain pasta.
7. Sprinkle 1.5 cups parmesan cheese evenly into skillet then stir until well combined.
8. Add drained pasta to skillet. Continue cooking and gently stirring for 2 minutes.
9. Stir in kale. 8 cups chopped kale
10. Top with remaining 1/2 cup parmesan cheese then serve immediately.

Notes

• This doesn’t have to be spicy. Simply use regular or sweet Italian sausage, omit the red pepper flakes, and reduce black pepper to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Do measure the water and salt. Too much water means less starch. Too much salt means the sauce will be too salty. Speaking of… I actually use 2 teaspoons of salt in this and think it’s perfect but I tend to like things on the salty side so I wrote the recipe for 1.5 teaspoons.
• Grate your own parmesan cheese. This isn’t one of those recipes you can use the stuff in the green can. Or even the preshredded cheese in a pouch or plastic container. 4 ounces of parmesan yields about 2 cups finely shredded cheese.
• The only downside to this type of pasta recipe is that it is BEST when first prepared. Most pasta dishes get better the longer they rest and some are even better the next day. This is not one of those. 
• If you think you will have leftovers or will not be able to serve this immediately after preparing, save more pasta water, heat it to almost boiling in the microwave, then stir into pasta before reheating. Use enough to loosen the pasta and just cover the bottom of the pan then heat over medium heat until bubbly.
• You do not have to use kale. You can omit it or use fresh spinach.
• Blanched or sauteed broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, red peppers, broccolini and/or onions would all be great additions. 
• You can use any rigid, tubular pasta in this recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

749.73

Fat

52.24 g

Sat. Fat

23.29 g

Carbs

39.09 g

Fiber

13.91 g

Net carbs

34.03 g

Protein

31.39 g

Sodium

1950.83 mg

Sugar

1.84 g

Cholesterol

130.92 mg

https://www.southyourmouth.com/2023/02/spicy-sausage-kale-rigatoni.html

Images and text © South Your Mouth LLC 2023

30 minute, quick, easy, italian, sausage, kale, pasta water, pasta, rigatoni, ziti, sauce, parmesan, how, why, recipe, best, authentic

supper, dinner, pasta

Italian