Table Talk Tuesday- Pasta Pasta & more Pasta!

My favorite day ever!! Here I am again with another amazing recipe to share! It is comfort food to a TEE and is beyond delicious! You can find the original recipe Here! 

Side note- it took my just over an hour to prep,cook and plate.

This is mine :) 

Creamy Sausage Rigatoni Pasta

Here is what you will need: 

1 lb mild Italian sausage (to kick up the heat you could get hot)

1/4 onion, chopped

3 tsp. Minced garlic 

1 can San Marzano tomatoes, drained 

Paprika 

1 bay leaf 

1 cup chicken stock 

3 tablespoons heavy cream

Shredded Parmesan Cheese

5 slices provolone cheese

Rigatoni Pasta (half box; remember Pasta doubles in size when cooked) 

8x8 baking dish

Baking spray

I want to advise you to use a LARGE skillet with high sides for this recipe! We have one from COSTCO that I should have used #lessonlearned You can find it Here!

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees & start a large pot of salted water for your pasta.

2. Take your Italian sausage out of the fridge about 15 min before using. (I find it easy to brown when it is not super cold.) 

3. Brown sausage. Drain grease.

4. Add chopped onion and minced garlic. 

[ Helpful hint here! Pat and I love to cook but we realized we HATED mincing garlic. We would smell like it for days. So we invested in jarred minced garlic. AND I will NEVER go back. When I told my mom this she said nothing is as good as fresh garlic and I said mama you don't even know the simplicity!!!]

5. Sauté the meat,onion and minced garlic for 5 minutes on medium heat. 

Once water is boiling, add pasta for 8-10 minutes to cook.

6. Coat the top of the meat mixture with a sprinkle of paprika. 

7. Add in the bay leaf, tomatoes and chicken stock. Reduce to medium-low heat. Allow mixture to simmer for about 10-15 minutes. 

8. Once a large amount of liquid is gone, remove the bay leaf. No need for this to end up in someone's dish :) 

9. Sprinkle a hefty handful of Parmesan cheese over the mixture. Then add your 3 Tablespoons of heavy cream. Stir entire mixture together. 

10. Drain pasta and add to mixture. Give the entire dish a good mix! 

11. Spray the bottom of 8x8 to prevent sticking. Transfer pasta and meat mixture to baking dish. 

12. Take 4 full pieces of provolone cheese and cover dish. Use only half of the fifth piece to cover your center! 

13. Bake in over for 9-11 minutes or until cheese starts to brown. 

14. Dish up and enjoy :) I always prefer pasta in bowls. Yumm 

[ We ate our meal with another simple side salad. I used the left over ingredients from last week that were still in the fridge!]