Creamy Rigatoni with Cauliflower & Italian Sausage
Rigatoni pasta is paired with ricotta, roasted cauliflower, and savory Italian sausage, making for a satisfying and hearty dish. Feel free to sub out turkey sausage, or up the cauliflower amount if desired.
Yield: All recipes serve 2 people
Components
Browned Italian Sausage
Toasted Panko Bread Crumbs
Dry Rigatoni
Whipped Ricotta
Trimmed Cauliflower
Mise
Brown Italian Sausage: In a large skillet over medium high heat, brown the italian sausage▸. Using a wooden spoon, press the sausage into the pan and allow to brown without stirring for 4-5 minutes to develop a golden brown sear on the sausage. Stir, press and continue this process until the sausage is evenly browned and cooked through. Transfer to a sheet tray to stop the cooking process.
Panko Crumb▸: Slice the garlic cloves thin. In a small skillet, sauté the garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat until the edges begin to brown. Add the ¼ C panko crumb and stir continuously until the panko and the garlic are golden brown. Remove from the heat.
Whip the ricotta: Add the ½ C ricotta to a small bowl. Using a whisk, whip the ricotta with a few tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt until smooth.
Cauliflower: Trim the cauliflower into bite sized pieces.
Finish
Using the Pasta ▸ technique, cook the pasta. Transfer to a large skillet once al-dente and keep the pasta pot boiling.
Blanch the cauliflower ▸ in the pasta water until cooked through. No need to shock here! Just transfer the cauliflower to the skillet with the pasta along with the pasta water.
Finish the pasta by combining the rigatoni, whipped ricotta, browned sausage and cauliflower. Add some reserved pasta water to bring everything together.
Make any adjustments with salt, black pepper or chile flake to your liking.
Plate the pasta and garnish each dish with parmigiano reggiano and panko crumb.