Recipe Background
The real question about Trillion Dollar Sausage Pasta isn't whether it tastes like a trillion dollars (it does, and your tastebuds will be saying cha-ching for a long time afterward). The question is who is the real star of the show here: the sausage or the pasta? On the one hand, it's hard to argue with classic Italian sausage, pan-fried to perfection and filled with meaty goodness. On the other hand, the pasta is coated with a deeply savory and creamy sauce, with notes of rich tomatoes and fragrant garlic as well as a sprinkling of parmesan. We'll just say that the two come together to make a profitable partnership. Nothing shares in the wealth of flavors like Trillion Dollar Sausage Pasta!
The real question about Trillion Dollar Sausage Pasta isn't whether it tastes like a trillion dollars (it does, and your tastebuds will be saying cha-ching for a long time afterward). The question is who is the real star of the show here: the sausage or the pasta? On the one hand, it's hard to argue with classic Italian sausage, pan-fried to perfection and filled with meaty goodness. On the other hand, the pasta is coated with a deeply savory and creamy sauce, with notes of rich tomatoes and fragrant garlic as well as a sprinkling of parmesan. We'll just say that the two come together to make a profitable partnership. Nothing shares in the wealth of flavors like Trillion Dollar Sausage Pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound Italian sausage hot or sweet
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 (7-ounce) jar roasted red peppers drained
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1/2 pound rigatoni
- 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups spinach
- fresh parsley optional, to garnish
- red pepper flakes optional, for garnish
Directions
- Combine the chicken broth, the mustard powder, the onion powder, and the Italian seasoning in a bowl.
- Cut the sausage into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
- Heat the water over medium heat in a large, high-walled skillet.
- Add the sausage to the skillet, then cover and cook, stirring halfway through, until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium high. Cook the sausage until browned, about 5-7 minutes.
- Carefully drain the excess grease from the pan but leave the brown bits at the bottom.
- Add the white wine, the tomato paste, and the garlic to the pan and cook over medium heat, using a rubber spatula to scrape the browned bits up from the bottom of the pan, until it reduces by half, about 4 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth mixture and the heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Add the roasted red pepper and the softened cream cheese to the sauce mixture.
- Cook the pasta to al dente according to the package directions, letting the sauce bubble as you do so.
- Drain the pasta.
- Sprinkle the parmesan cheese into the sauce mixture, stirring to incorporate.
- Add the spinach and the sausage to the sauce mixture, stirring to combine.
- Add the cooked pasta to the sauce mixture, stirring to coat.
- Garnish the pasta with the parsley and the red pepper flakes.
- Serve.
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