Creamy Sausage & Asparagus Rigatoni

A delicious Italian Pasta Recipe this is the perfect dish to cook up some fresh asparagus. Made with Italian sausage and a few spices.  Creamy and delicious without adding any cream.  Dinner is served.

Creamy Sausage & Asparagus Rigatoni

I know spring has arrived not when I receive a bouquet of flowers (tulips are my favourite), but when the Italian surprises me with a bouquet of wild asparagus!

It’s a good thing I love Asparagus, I like to think of it as the sophisticated vegetable.

These days when I am driving down our main street, I look  at the side of the road and I see the occasional person bending down and hunting around in the bushes looking for wild asparagus.

Which makes me realize that this pasta dish could be the  favourite of more than just one Italian and not just my husband’s.

This is a healthy cream sauce, what is so amazing is it is creamy all on its own.  No need to add cream or milk.  All healthy delicious, sophisticated, asparagus.

How to clean Asparagus:

Clean the asparagus by snapping off the tough base of each spear, this is usually around the bottom third of the spear, where the stem starts to turn tender. Keep only the tender part.

How to make Creamy Asparagus Sauce with no Dairy added:

• Separate the top part (head) of the asparagus from the stem (approximately an inch) and cut the stem into pieces.
• In a small pot of boiling water cook first the head and set aside.
• In the same water cook the chopped stems until tender.
• With a slotted spoon remove the stems, and place in a blender with a cup of the boiled asparagus water. Blend until smooth.

What type of Pasta should I use?

Cream sauces I was taught in Italy should always be served with a short pasta, such as Penne, Mezze Maniche, Fusilli, Rigatoni, Tortiglioni, or Sedani and if you ask the Italian he will tell you to make sure you get Rigati Pasta (pasta with ridges), it will hold the sauce better!

More Recipes with Asparagus:

• Puff Pastry Pancetta Asparagus Quiche
• Oven Roasted Asparagus with Parmesan
• Italian Fresh Asparagus Frittata
• Ravioli with Asparagus & Mushrooms

So whether you make this Asparagus Pasta with wild asparagus or your local market asparagus, I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think. Buon Appetito!

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5 from 1 vote

Creamy Sausage & Asparagus Rigatoni

Penne with Sausage and Asparagus Cream Sauce is a delicious, Italian pasta dish. No cream necessary to make this a creamy tasty pasta recipe.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword asparagus pasta, asparagus recipe, pasta with asapargus

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 498kcal

Author Rosemary Molloy / An Italian in my Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked short pasta
• 2 lbs asparagus (1 kilo)
• 1 cup boiled asparagus water (250 grams)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 1/2 shallot (minced)
• 2 large Italian hot or mild sausages (casing removed and chopped)
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1-2 dashes pepper or hot pepper flakes
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Clean the asparagus by snapping off the tough base of each spear, this is usually around the bottom third of the spear, where the stem starts to turn tender. Keep only the tender part. Chop into 1/4 inch (3/4 cm) size pieces (separate the heads from the stems).
• In a small to medium pot, cook the heads in boiling water for approximately 5 minutes, remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Boil in the same water the cut up stems for 10-15 minutes or until tender. With a slotted spoon remove the stems, DO NOT THROW AWAY THE WATER, and place in a blender with a 1 cup of the boiled asparagus water. Blend until smooth.
• In a large frying pan add the olive oil, butter, garlic, shallot and cut up sausage cook for approximately 10 minutes until sausage is no longer pink, then add the tomato puree, pepper or hot pepper flakes, blended asparagus and asparagus heads,(add salt if desired) cook on low to medium for approximately 10-15 minutes, stirring often. Add cooked pasta al dente, and 1/2 ladle of pasta water, toss gently to combine while heating on medium high heat until thickened (approximately 1 minute). Serve immediately topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 442mg | Potassium: 691mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 36.9% | Vitamin C: 18.4% | Calcium: 7.2% | Iron: 34.3%

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Updated from April 19, 2017.