Sausage Alfredo Rigatoni

It is a good thing that I love to run, because I love to eat pasta. This pasta combines creamy homemade garlic Alfredo sauce with delicious Italian sausage. I used the sweet Italian sausage, but next time I am going to give it a little kick by using spicy Italian sausage. You could also use a different type of pasta like, penne, ziti or cavatappi.

I never calculate the nutritional info for a recipe until I sit down to write the blog post. When I calculated the info I was shocked at the amount of calories. I quadrupled check all of the ingredients and amounts. I even tried to see what would happen if I only used 1/2 a pound of sausage, that only reduced it by 200 calories. I guess this is definitely a dish to have on long run day or before a race. Why is it that the really delicious recipes always contain a high amount of calories?

Sausage Alfredo Rigatoni

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic. minced
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 3 teaspoons dried basil
• black pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Roasted Garlic Alfredo Sauce

• 1 head roasted garlic
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cups shredded parmesan cheese
• black pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spray a 8x8 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain well.
3. In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add in the onions and garlic and sauté until the onions are translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add in the sausage and cook until completely cooked, breaking it up as it cooks.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and black pepper.
6. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a small bowl and mash with a fork.
7. In a medium saucepan, over low-medium heat, melt the butter. 
8. Add in the heavy cream and and roasted garlic. Heat until hot, but do not boil, stirring often.
9. Reduce the heat to low and add in the parmesan cheese and black pepper. Stir constantly until the the cheese is completely melted.
10. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and cream. Pour the mixture into the Alfredo sauce and heat stirring constantly until thickened.
11. Pour the Alfredo sauce into the skillet with the sausage and stir to mix. Add in the cooked rigatoni and stir to mix everything together. 
12. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese.
13. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!!!

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 1428
Total Fat		107.9g
Saturated Fat		56.6g
Trans Fat		0g
Polyunsaturated Fat		0g
Monounsaturated Fat		5.9g
Cholesterol		319.7mg
Sodium		1775.5mg
Total Carbohydrates		65.7g
Dietary Fiber		3.8g
Sugars		4.2g
Protein		54.2g
Calcium		52.6%
Iron		15.3%
Potassium		235mg
Vitamin A		2%
Vitamin C		10.6%
*Nutritional information will vary depending on the brands you use.

*Adapted from 365 Days of Baking and More.