Italian Sausage and Fennel Rigatoni

Here at Honest Cooking, we love this Italian sausage and caramelized fennel tossed with rigatoni in a buttery, lemony sauce. It’s both easy, elegant, and delicious. The fennel gets soft and slightly sweet as it cooks down in butter, the sausage adds richness and spice, and the lemon juice and vinegar cut through everything with acidity. Parmesan and pasta water bind it all together into something that coats each piece of rigatoni. Just like we love it.

This absolutely works wonders for a weeknight but it’s both substantial and pretty enough for guests. The fennel does most of the work flavor-wise, and it’s worth taking the time to let it caramelize properly.

What You’ll Need

1 cup (237ml) olive oil
4 Italian sausages
4 tablespoons butter
2 medium fennel bulbs, trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 medium shallot, minced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ cup (59ml) Parmesan cheese, grated
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (454g) rigatoni

How to Make Italian Sausage and Fennel Rigatoni

Cook the Pasta

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving ½-¾ cup of the cooking liquid. Set aside.

Brown the Sausage

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausages and cook until browned on the outside and cooked through, about 6-10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then slice into ½-1 inch pieces on the diagonal.

Caramelize the Fennel

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the saucepan. Once melted, stir in the fennel and salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the fennel begins to brown and soften. Add the shallot and garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Deglaze and Simmer

Stir in the lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 1-2 minutes.

Combine and Finish

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the sliced sausage, cooked pasta, ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water, Parmesan cheese, and thyme to the saucepan. Stir well to coat everything. Add another ¼ cup of pasta water if the pasta seems dry. Adjust salt to taste.
Top with freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Recipe Notes

Don’t rush the fennel. Let it cook for the full 8-10 minutes to develop sweetness and color.

For deeper fennel flavor, lightly toast fennel seeds in the pan before adding the sliced fennel.

White wine vinegar can be replaced with apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar if that’s what you have.

Use hot or sweet Italian sausage depending on your preference. Hot sausage adds a nice kick.

The pasta water is essential. It helps the sauce cling to the rigatoni and creates a silky coating.

Add a handful of chopped fresh parsley or basil before serving for color and freshness.

Leftovers reheat well with a splash of water or broth to loosen the sauce.

If you can’t find rigatoni, penne or casarecce work well too.

Rigatoni with Italian sausage and caramelized fennel in a buttery lemon sauce. Rich, bright, and ready in 40 minutes.

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Honest Cooking Magazine
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Diet: Omnivore

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Description

Hearty pasta with caramelized fennel and spicy sausage. Simple, flavorful, and perfect for a cozy weeknight dinner.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 cups (237 ml) olive oil
• 4 Italian sausages
• 4 tbsp butter
• 2 medium sized fennel bulbs (trimmed, cored, and thinly sliced)
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 medium shallot (minced)
• 4 garlic cloves (minced)
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cups (59 ml) Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lbs (454 g) rigatoni

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Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente. Drain, reserving ½-¾ cup of cooking liquid. Set aside.
2. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until browned outside and cooked through, about 6-10 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool slightly, then slice into ½-1 inch pieces on the diagonal.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add butter to the saucepan. Once melted, stir in fennel and salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the fennel begins to brown. Add shallot and garlic; cook for 1 minute.
4. Stir in lemon juice and white wine vinegar. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 1-2 minutes.
5. Increase heat to medium-high. Add sliced sausage, pasta, ¼ cup reserved pasta water, Parmesan cheese, and thyme to the saucepan. Stir well to coat. Add another ¼ cup pasta water if needed. Adjust salt to taste.
6. Top with freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Notes

• For deeper fennel flavor, lightly toast the fennel seeds before adding the sliced fennel to the pan.
• If you don’t have white wine vinegar, substitute with an equal amount of apple cider vinegar or sherry vinegar.
• To make this a complete meal, add a handful of chopped fresh parsley or basil before serving.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Sautéing
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 ½ cups
• Calories: 600
• Sugar: 5
• Sodium: 700
• Fat: 35
• Saturated Fat: 18
• Unsaturated Fat: 12
• Carbohydrates: 60
• Fiber: 5
• Protein: 25
• Cholesterol: 80

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