Sausage Cream Cheese Rigatoni

I feel like the last 4 recipe posts have all been Italian or something with a red sauce ingredient. Can you tell that I begin to hibernate and carb-load during the wintertime? 🙂

This recipe today is a simple pasta dish I made a few weeks back that my husband commented, “This is the greatest pasta you’ve EVER made.” Umm…okay! I’ve literally spent a full day before making homemade lasagna, baked ziti, and spinach roll-ups that were tedius and full of intricate steps. But this is the greatest?! I love it and it kind of makes me feel like I majorly wasted my time making anything harder than this! 🙂

The mix of spice from the Italian sausage, the thick and creaminess of the cream cheese, and the carb goodness from large Rigatoni noodles make this such a great winter meal. Enjoy, everyone!!

Ingredient

1 lb. mild Italian sausage

1 lb. rigatoni, uncooked

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 oz. cream cheese, cubed in 1/2 inch pieces

Jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I stand by Prego Traditional for my dishes)

1/2 cup basil, chopped

1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, for topping

Recipe

Cook pasta according to directions on the package.

Meanwhile, brown Italian sausage in large skillet, breaking into small crumbles as it cooks. Add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Add pasta sauce and cream cheese and mix well. Cook on low for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until cream cheese has melted and is well blended.

Drain pasta. Add sauce mixture on top of pasta and mix well, until evenly coated. Top with Mozzarella cheese and basil. Enjoy!

2