Sausage Alfredo Rigatoni combines rigatoni pasta and herb-flavored sausage tossed in a creamy roasted garlic Alfredo sauce. This pure comfort food will become a staple in your dinner rotation!
I love eating pasta for dinner! This time, I wanted to make a baked Alfredo dish with meat, but without using the standard chicken fare. I don’t have anything against chicken, but sometimes you just need a change!
I rarely make anything with sausage, so I was inspired to use Italian sausage as my meat for this dish.
SAVE THIS SAUSAGE ALFREDO PASTA RECIPE TO YOUR FAVORITE PINTEREST BOARD!
Can you use other kinds of sausage for this Alfredo pasta dish?
You can use any ground sausage for this recipe. However, you’ll want to choose the right flavor profile. I used sweet Italian sausage, but you might prefer a spicy Italian sausage flavored with red pepper flakes and other spices.
Other kinds of sausage include breakfast pork sausage (usually flavored with maple), pork sausage with herbs (often sage), andouille sausage, which is usually pre-cooked and wouldn’t work in this recipe, or chorizo, a sausage flavored with spices popular in Mexican cuisine.
You could also use turkey sausage if you want a leaner meat.
Ingredients for Sausage Alfredo Rigatoni
This recipe is made in two parts: the sausage and the homemade Alfredo sauce. Here’s what you’ll need to make both:
For the sausage:
- 1 lb. Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 10 – 12 leaves fresh basil, chopped
- You can also use 2-3 teaspoons of dried basil.
- salt and pepper to taste
Here’s what you need for the Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- 1 head of garlic, roasted
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons flour mixed with 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Shaved Parmesan cheese
You’ll also need 8 ounces of rigatoni pasta, which is about 1/2 of a box. You can also use penne pasta or any other tubular pasta.
How to make Sausage Alfredo Pasta
You’ll have a delicious dinner ready in no time by following these easy steps:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and prepare an 8 X 8-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Cook rigatoni according to package directions in a large pot of water, salted generously. Follow directions for “al dente,” then drain the salted water and set the cooked pasta aside. Drizzle a little olive oil over the rigatoni to keep it from sticking.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion and minced garlic in olive oil until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
Add sausage and heat until thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat and stir in basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Place sausage mixture into a large bowl and set it aside.
Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- To prepare the Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce, remove the cloves of roasted garlic by gently squeezing them from the skins, then place them into a small bowl. Mash the cloves with a fork.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low to medium heat. Add the cream and roasted garlic, and heat to very warm, but DO NOT boil. Lower heat and mix in the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, whisking constantly until the cheese has melted.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream until well combined. Pour this into the cheese sauce, stirring and heating until the mixture thickens.
- Pour the creamy sauce over the sausage and stir until well-coated. Add rigatoni and mix thoroughly.
- Pour contents into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle shaved Parmesan cheese on top of the pasta. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.
Baked Alfredo Rigatoni additions
If you want to add a little something more to your pasta, consider one of these great additions:
- Italian seasoning
- red pepper flakes
- chopped parsley
- sauteed vegetables- some favorites are bell peppers, cremini mushrooms, fresh spinach, olives, or zucchini
How to store leftover pasta
This pasta dish is great for leftovers! Store any leftover baked rigatoni by covering it tightly with aluminum foil and placing it in the refrigerator. It will keep for 3-4 days.
Can you make Sausage Alfredo Rigatoni ahead of time?
Yes, this pasta dish can be made up to 6 hours before baking and stored in the refrigerator. Follow the recipe up until the point where you place it in the oven. Instead, cover it with foil and place it in the refrigerator.
You may need to add a few extra minutes of cooking time to compensate for cooking a cold dish.
Other favorite pasta recipes
Pasta is one of my favorite things to make for dinner. Try one of these tasty meals next time:
Baked Stuffed Shells make a savory, filling meal that is full of flavor!
Pepperoni Pizza Pasta is another delicious casserole made with rigatoni, using all the flavors of your favorite pizza!
Spinach and Cheese Manicotti are crepes filled with a cheesy spinach mixture and smothered in your favorite pasta sauce.
More ways to use sausage
I have so many fun recipes that have sausage as the star ingredient!
- Cheesy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
- One Pot Sausage Linguini
- Cheese Puff Pastry Sausage Rolls
- Sausage Balls
- Sausage Cranberry Brie Bites
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Sausage Alfredo Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta prepared al dente
- 1 pound Johnsonville Sweet Italian Sausage
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 10-12 leaves fresh basil or 2-3 teaspoons dried
- salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- 1 head roasted garlic
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ¾ cups heavy cream
- 1 ¼ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup shaved Parmesan cheese for topping
To thicken Alfredo sauce
- 2 teaspoons flour
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cook the Rigatoni
- Preheat oven to 350° F and prepare an 8 X 8-inch baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Cook rigatoni according to package directions in a large pot of water, salted generously. Follow directions to cook it to “al dente,” then drain the salted water. Set the cooked pasta aside. Drizzle a little olive oil over the rigatoni to keep it from sticking.
Cook the Sausage
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion and minced garlic in olive oil until translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add sausage and heat until thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat and stir in basil, salt, and pepper to taste. Place sausage mixture into a large bowl and set it aside.
Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- Remove the cloves of roasted garlic by gently squeezing them from the skins, then place them into a small bowl. Mash the cloves with a fork.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low to medium heat. Add the cream and roasted garlic, and heat to very warm, but DO NOT boil.
- Lower heat and mix in the Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper, whisking constantly until the cheese has melted.
- In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons of flour and 2 tablespoons of heavy cream until well combined. Pour this into the cheese sauce, stirring and heating until the mixture thickens.
- Pour the creamy sauce over the sausage and stir until well-coated. Add rigatoni and mix thoroughly. Pour contents into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle shaved Parmesan cheese on top of the pasta. Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 2/13/14. It has been updated in format and with photos on 6/14/23.
Comments & Reviews
Hi! Would love to try this recipe, but I have zero time in my life these days. Curious…do you think I could sub jarred Alfredo for this recipe??
Thank you in advance?
I’m gonna make it tonight and use Ragu Alfredo…hope it works! If it’s good I’ll try this sauce recipe but I’ve never been good at homemade Alfredo’s.
Can the heavy cream be substituted with something else to lower the fat content ?
Mitzi, though I haven’t tried it, I Googled it, and found that to replace 1 cup of heavy cream you can use whole or skim milk mixed with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. Hope that helps, and please let me know how it worked as others may want to do the same.
Is it possible to use a nondairy milk substitute?
Cynthia, if you want to use a non-dairy substitute for the Alfredo sauce, I would suggest using only a non-dairy Alfredo recipe altogether since I’ve not used anything but the heavy cream to make it. I’m sure there are a few out there if you do a Google search.
If jarred alfredo sauce is used, what size jar would go with servings for 6?
For a jarred sauce to feed 6 people you’ll need a bit more than 3 cups, so a jar and a half of Alfredo sauce.
For 6 servings do we still use an 8×8 inch baking dish?
Elaine, I would use a 9 X 13-inch baking dish as an 8X8 dish will be too small to hold everything. If you wanted, you could double the original recipe, put it in a 9 X 13-inch pan as well, and send someone home with the leftovers or save them yourself. Enjoy!
Solid recipe. Everyone went back for seconds. I decided to brown the butter before adding in the garlic and cream, to give it a more nutty and deeper flavor.
This is really good and I would make it again. The problem I had was it was really creamy and wonderful and then I put it in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes and when I took it out the sauce had separated and was not creamy like when I put it in the oven. Has anyone had this problem? I think next time (because everyone liked it so much) that I would not put it in the oven, just serve it from the pan I cooked it in.
I made this with jarred Alfredo sauce and added sauce to skillet after browning the sausage then add in rigatoni with some of the pasta water and serve!
Absolutely my new favorite meal. I made it with half and half and it came out great.
I made the recipe today just as it’s written and it was a big success. My kids loved it. I’ve already been asked to make this recipe again soon.
Delicious
Thank you, Angela! I’m thrilled to hear you enjoyed it so much and appreciate the review and feedback!
I’ve made this twice and it’s a huge hit. My husband regularly requests this dish. I use jarred Roasted Garlic Alfredo sauce and it comes out great. I also add about 3/4 cup of shredded Parmesan cheese on top before baking – that gives it a nice crust.