Mild Italian sausage, charred tomato sauce & fresh mozzarella in a creamy garlic sauce. Garnished with scallions

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Add 12 oz rigatoni and cook according to package until al dente (usually 10–12 minutes). Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain rigatoni and set aside.

Cook pasta

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 12 oz mild Italian sausage (removed from casings, broken into bite-size pieces) and cook, stirring and pressing pieces to brown evenly, about 6–8 minutes, until nicely caramelized. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage to a plate, leaving rendered fat in the pan.

Brown the sausage

Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 tablespoon butter if pan looks dry. Add the diced yellow onion (finely chopped) and cook until translucent, 4–5 minutes. Add minced garlic (4 cloves), the white parts of the scallions (reserve greens for garnish), crushed red pepper flakes (1 tsp) and black pepper (1 tsp). Cook 30–60 seconds until fragrant, taking care not to burn the garlic.

Cook aromatics

Add the halved roma tomatoes (2 cups) to the skillet cut side down. Let them sear for 2–3 minutes to get a slight char, then stir. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and cook 1–2 minutes until the paste darkens slightly and mellows.

Char and build tomato flavor

Stir in 1 cup chicken or vegetable stock, dried oregano (1 tsp) and optional sugar (1 tsp). Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently 6–8 minutes until tomatoes break down and sauce thickens slightly.

Simmer sauce

Return the browned sausage to the skillet and stir to combine. Simmer together 2–3 minutes to marry flavors.

Return sausage

Stir in 1 cup heavy cream and 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil vigorously). Add 1 cup grated Parmesan and stir until melted and incorporated. Adjust salt to taste (~1 tsp). If sauce is too thick, add reserved pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, to reach a silky, coat-the-pasta consistency.

Add cream and cheese

Add the drained rigatoni and reserved pasta water as needed to the skillet. Toss gently to coat the pasta in the creamy arrabbiata sauce. Fold in torn fresh mozzarella (6 oz) so it softens and creates pockets of melty cheese, about 1–2 minutes. If necessary, heat very gently so mozzarella melts but does not overcook.

Combine with pasta and mozzarella

Plate the pasta and finish with sliced scallion greens (2 tbsp), chopped basil or parsley (2 tbsp optional), a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil (1 tsp) and an extra sprinkling of grated Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately.

rigatoni

salt (for pasta water)

reserved pasta cooking water

mild Italian sausage (casings removed)

extra-virgin olive oil

yellow onion

garlic cloves, minced

scallions, thinly sliced (white + green parts separated)

crushed red pepper flakes

black pepper

roma/roma-style tomatoes, halved

tomato paste

chicken or vegetable stock

sugar (optional, to balance acidity)

dried oregano

heavy cream

unsalted butter

fresh mozzarella, torn into pieces

parmesan cheese, finely grated

salt (to taste)

scallion greens, thinly sliced

fresh basil or parsley (optional)

extra virgin olive oil (finishing)

Sausage Rigatoni Arrabbiata

Make Sausage Rigatoni Arrabbiata Recipe in just 40m. Mild Italian sausage, charred tomato sauce & fresh mozzarella in a creamy garlic sauce. Garnished with scallions

Sausage Rigatoni Arrabbiata Recipe

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