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Creamy Rigatoni with Leeks, Sausage and Oregano
recipe
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Brooklyn
Creamy Rigatoni with Leeks, Sausage and Oregano
Micole Rondinone
Micole Rondinone
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$1.00
This dish is the perfect fall meal, offering a rich and herbaceous sauce layering umami from browned pork sausage, tomato paste, savory aromatics of oregano, and leeks. Finished with smooth heavy cream and starchy pasta water, it's a luscious jacket for al dente pasta. Serve with a crisp white wine for a comforting meal.
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You Need

2-4 servings
0:35
  • 6 oz ground pork breakfast sausage
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced leeks, washed, tops removed
  • 1 Tbsp loosely packed fresh or dried oregano
  • 3.5 heaping Tbsps tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/4 - 3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 - 1/3 cup starchy pasta water
  • Coarse kosher salt
  • Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Freshly grated black pepper

    • How To

    1. Fill a large pot with 2 Qt of water (8 cups) for your pasta. Place over medium heat while you make the sauce.
    2. Place a 10-12 inch pan with high sides over medium heat. Add a splash of olive oil. Add pork and break it up using a spoon or spatula. Pat down the pieces of pork into a single layer in the bottom of the pan. Let it brown, 3-4 minutes. Add 1/4 tsp of red pepper flakes and 1/4 tsp of salt. Stir, loosening the pork from the bottom of the pan. Then pat back down into a single layer and let brown another 3 minutes. At this point the pork should be brown and crispy. Turn the heat down to medium and add the leeks. Stir and sweat for 1-2 minutes until starting to soften.
    3. When your pot of water for the pasta is nearly boiling, add 3 tsps of coarse kosher salt. Let dissolve.
    4. To the pan with the pork and leeks add 3.5 heaping Tbsps of tomato paste, stir and let cook 1-2 minutes allowing the paste to deepen in color. Turn the heat down to medium-low and deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of white wine, stir and then allow to simmer gently for a minute or two for the alcohol to cook off.
    5. Add rigatoni to boiling water and cook 10-12 minutes until al dente.
    6. To your sauce, add the 1/4 cup of heavy cream and stir to combine. Let simmer a minute or two, then taste. Add more salt as needed and a few cranks of fresh black pepper. For a spicier sauce add another 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of red chili flakes. To the sauce add your oregano and 1/4 cup of vegetable broth. Let simmer over low heat while pasta cooks.
    7. When the pasta is ready, strain making sure to reserve 1/4 - 1/3 cup of the starchy pasta water. Add cooked pasta to the pan with the sauce. Gently stir, and pour in starchy pasta water until all noodles are thoroughly coated in sauce. You may not need all of the water: add until sauce is loosened to desired consistency.
    8. Serve with fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano on top, a little more oregano and black pepper - and dig in immediately! (Cozy clothes optional but recommended).