Wagyu Sausage Rigatoni Rosa

This dish is as comforting as it easy, so we like to keep the ingredients on standby for days that are neither of those things. (It also pairs well with a full-bodied red wine—or something stronger—which we also keep on standby for the same reasons.)

The Wagyu sausage is well-marbled with healthy fat, giving it much more flavor and tenderness than the traditional store-bought kind. You can either release the sausages from their casings and break up the meat as it simmers, or slice them into coins that turn a lovely deep orange as their oils sweat to the surface. The cream cheese is the secret to the sauce here, which adds a richness and tang that will make you ditch the heavy cream—and with grocery store sausages—forever.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 4)

12 oz. rigatoni pasta

2 cloves garlic

3 oz. tomato paste

2 units chicken stock concentrate

1 cup parmesan cheese

2 zucchinis

1 onion

18 oz. Miraflora Wagyu Italian Sausage

8 Tbsp. cream cheese

1 tsp. chili flakes

2 tsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. butter

1 tsp. sugar

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add rigatoni and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente (9-11 minutes). Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. 

While the pasta cooks, chop the onion into small, uniform pieces. Trim and halve zuchinni lengthwise, and slice into ¼-inch thick half-moons. Peel and mince or grate garlic.

Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and tender. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the zucchini. Either remove Wagyu sausage from casing or slice it into coins as is, whichever you prefer. Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan over medium-high heat, and add sausage. Saute until almost cooked through (3-4 minutes). 

Stir garlic and tomato paste into pan with sausage and cook until garlic is fragrant and sausage is fully cooked, 1-2 minutes. Stir in cream cheese, stock concentrate, ¾ cup reserved pasta water, 2 Tbsp. butter, 1 tsp. sugar, and a pinch of chili flakes to taste. Remove from heat.

Add drained rigatoni and zucchini to pan with sauce. Stir in half the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (If sauce is too thick, add more reserved pasta water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in the sauce.) Divide between bowls and top with remaining parmesan.