"Vodka" rigatoni with sausage and veggies

Submitted by Jake and Hannah Nelson - added 8/27/26

Inspired by a vodka sauce recipe we saw (https://thefeatherednester.com/carbone-spicy-rigatoni/), but we used vinegar instead of vodka and loved it so much that it became one of our favorite dinner recipes! Then we added sausage and veggies to make it heartier so it feels like a complete meal - no sides needed!

Ingredients

• 6 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz. tomato paste
• 1 cup white wine vinegar
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 Tbsp. red pepper flakes (optional for spice)
• 6 Tbsp. butter
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lb. Italian sausage, chopped (we prefer spicy)
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 package white mushrooms, sliced
• 1 package cherry tomatoes
• 1 bag spinach

Instructions

1. Sausage and veggies:
2. Add some olive oil to a large skillet and heat on medium heat. Add the sausage and stir slightly while it cooks. Once the sausage is browned but not completely cooked, add the zucchini, mushrooms, and cherry tomatoes to the same skillet and let them all cook together, stirring occasionally. Add the bag of spinach just before the end. Turn the heat off once everything is cooked through.
3. Sauce:
4. Make the sauce in a separate pot while the sausage/veggies are cooking.
5. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 3-5 minutes.
6. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until paste is brick red in color and is starting to caramelize.
7. Reduce heat to low and pour vinegar into the pan. Simmer, stirring often, until the liquid is mostly evaporated.
8. Add heavy cream and red pepper chili paste, stirring well to combine. Taste sauce for flavor and season with salt and pepper as desired. Remove from heat.
9. Bring 6 quarts of heavily salted water to a full boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the rigatoni and cook until al dente (2 minutes less than stated on package instructions – about 10 minutes).
10. Use a heat-safe measuring glass or bowl to reserve 2 cups of pasta water, then drain pasta through a colander.
11. Add the drained pasta to the skillet with vodka sauce.
12. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the butter and half of the pasta water. Cook the sauce and pasta, stirring often. Add more pasta water if needed, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the butter melts and the sauce is a soft orange color, thick and glossy.
13. Add the parmesan cheese, taste again for seasoning, adding more salt and pepper, if needed.
14. Combine the cooked sausage and veggies with the finished pasta and sauce and stir it all together. Top with more Parmesan cheese if desired.