Foodedo recipe
Creamy Sausage and Leek Rigatoni
Serves 4
45 min
Quantities are kept as written by the author.
A comforting stovetop rigatoni with browned pork sausages, sweet softened leeks, peas and a silky crème fraîche and Parmesan sauce.
Ingredients
14 items
- 320 grigatoni
- 400 gpork sausagesabout 6 thick sausages
- 2 tbspolive oil
- 2leekslarge, trimmed, halved lengthways, washed well and thinly sliced, about 400g prepared weight
- 3garlicfinely chopped
- 150 mlchicken stockmade with 1/2 stock cube
- 200 gcrème fraîchefull-fat
- 120 gfrozen peas
- 40 gParmesanfinely grated, plus extra to serve if liked
- 1 tspDijon mustard
- 1lemonuse 1 tbsp juice
- 10 gflat-leaf parsleyroughly chopped
- to tastefine salt
- to tasteblack pepperfreshly ground
Recipe notes (2)
- Note: Full-fat crème fraîche is the most stable here; keep the heat low once it goes in so the sauce stays smooth.
- Note: Any sturdy tube pasta such as penne can be used if rigatoni is unavailable; cook it according to the packet until al dente.
Method
8 steps
Step 1. Bring a large saucepan of well-salted water to the boil for the rigatoni. While it heats, prepare the leeks, garlic, Parmesan, parsley and lemon juice. Keep the raw sausages and their packaging away from the ready-to-eat ingredients and wash your hands and board after handling them.
Step 2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large deep frying pan over a medium heat. Add the sausages and cook for 10-12 minutes, turning regularly, until well browned and cooked right through. Check with a clean probe in the centre of the thickest sausage: it should read 75°C for 30 seconds, or 70°C for 2 minutes. Transfer to a board and rest for 2 minutes.
Step 3. Meanwhile, add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook for 10-12 minutes until just al dente. Reserve about 200ml of the pasta water, then drain.
Step 4. While the pasta cooks, return the frying pan to a medium-low heat and add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Tip in the leeks with a pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until very soft and lightly sweet but not deeply browned.
Step 5. Stir the garlic into the leeks and cook for 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it bubble for 2-3 minutes to reduce slightly.
Step 6. Slice the rested sausages into 1cm rounds. Turn the heat under the leeks to low, then stir in the crème fraîche, Dijon mustard, peas, half the Parmesan and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Add 100ml of the reserved pasta water and stir until smooth. Return the sliced sausages and any resting juices to the pan and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes, until the peas are hot and the sauce lightly coats a spoon.
Step 7. Add the drained rigatoni to the sauce and toss well for 1 minute so the pasta is coated. Add more reserved pasta water, a splash at a time, if the sauce needs loosening. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and a little more lemon juice if needed.
Step 8. Divide between bowls and scatter over the remaining Parmesan and the parsley. Serve straight away with extra black pepper if you like.