We love a good pasta dish, and it’s great that pasta is easy enough for a weeknight dinner. This spicy sausage and kale rigatoni is also fancy enough for a date night in! With ingredients like Italian sausage, kale, heavy cream, tomatoes, and parmesan cheese, it’s rich and indulgent but also so easy to make. Open a bottle of wine and enjoy making and eating this pasta recipe for your next date night in!
You can use mild or hot Italian sausage depending on what your tolerance is. I prefer milder foods and use mild Italian sausage here! This recipe couldn’t be easier to make. Cook your pasta according to package directions and drain and set aside. While the pasta is draining, use the same pasta to brown the sausage. Add the kale and cook until wilted. Then you’ll add just a little bit of flour to allow the sauce to thicken later. After that you add the rest of the ingredients! Diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Let it all simmer for max deliciousness, then stir in the pasta and parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust the salt as needed for a delicious dinner.
This dinner is perfect for a weeknight, but it’s also rich and cozy and perfect for enjoying on the couch with a movie. “Date night in” is what we tend to do here in this phase of life, but I don’t feel like I’m missing out on a fancy restaurant with this pasta! Something about putting pasta in a bowl instead of on a plate makes it feel even more cozy and comforting, and that’s how I highly recommend you enjoy it. Open a bottle of wine, make this spicy sausage and kale rigatoni, and date night in has never been better.
- 1 lb. dry rigatoni pasta
- 1 lb. Italian sausage (mild or hot)
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped
- 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
- 15 oz. canned tomato sauce
- 15 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
- In the same pot, brown Italian sausage, breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula as it cooks.
- Add kale and cook until wilted.
- Add flour and stir to coat the sausage and kale.
- Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and heavy cream. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine.
- Stir in parmesan cheese. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve topped with additional parmesan cheese and crack of freshly ground pepper, if desired.
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Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe.my family loved it.will be sharing this recipe with my friends.they will like it.
I’m so happy to hear that!