| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 1 hr |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 3 cups chopped fennel (1 large bulb)
- 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
- 1 1/4 pounds sweet Italian sausages, casings removed
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves)
- 1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds, crushed with a mortar and pestle
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 cup freshly grated Italian Parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 823 |
| Total Fat | 40 g |
| Saturated Fat | 19 g |
| Carbohydrates | 72 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 9 g |
| Protein | 38 g |
| Cholesterol | 99 mg |
| Sodium | 951 mg |
Reviews
This is probably the tenth time I will be making this tonight. It is absolutely delicious- I don’t even like sausage!
Absolutely delicious! I did add some water saved from the cooked pasta to loosen the sauce a bit.
DELICIOUS!!
Amazing!! This dish was so tasty. I can’t wait to make it again! The recipe worked exactly as described. It was one of those recipes where you just knew it was going to be good from the start. Thank you!
Delicious! Even the picky eaters loved it
Wow! This recipe is amazing!! My husband is obsessed. Definitely a keeper. Thank you, Ina.
Im not a sausage or fennel fan but there were such rave reviews on the Ina Garten FB group that I decided to try it. I made it for company and all four of us loved it! Definitely will become a regular in our house!
I love One’s recipes. She is one of my favorites on food network but I must say that I was not crazy about this recipe. I think the sausage was over powering. My husband felt the same way. I ended up throwing it away.
Spectacular and not difficult to prepare. I will make this dish regularly.
Excellent! Never lets me down.