Rigatoni with Turkey Sausage and Fennel

We now have a new favorite pasta dish in our house – made with a turkey twist, of course – rigatoni with turkey sausage & fennel. Ina uses pork sausage but I switched it up with sweet Italian turkey sausage and it is absolutely amazing.

If you follow me on Facebook, then you probably already know I’m a big Ina Garten fan. I adore her cookbooks and her recipes … and I love watching her TV show when I can. She’s so calm and inspiring and knowledgeable. I love how she shows that cooking doesn’t have to be difficult to be really really good.

My dream dinner party would be at her house, I think. (It’s a toss-up between The Pioneer Woman and Ina Garten and Giada. All three are completely different … so perhaps I must insist on three dream dinner parties!)

Ina’s skillet roasted lemon chicken has a very regular rotation at our house – my boys love it and so do I.

Her pumpkin spice cupcakes with maple frosting are divine – about as perfect a cupcake as you can get.

And behold – rigatoni with turkey sausage & fennel.

I served it for my parents, sister, and niece before Joe’s jazz band concert and the dish got rave reviews from everyone – include 4-year-old Miss Morgan.

The original rigatoni with turkey sausage and fennel recipe comes from Ina’s newest cookbook, Cooking for Jeffrey, but you can also find it on the Food Network website here. (Plus my recipe version is at the end of this post.)

The flavors are incredible … I love the hint of heat with the red pepper flakes, especially. And this is the first time I’ve ever bought a fennel bulb and cooked with it! (Full disclosure – I Googled “how to cut up a fennel bulb” to make sure I was doing this properly.) Plus, I made this dish in advance and stored it in a large casserole dish overnight. Then I simply popped it in the oven for about 45 minutes to heat it up.

As Ina would say, “How easy is that?”

Needless to say, you must make this dish. Immediately. You won’t regret it, I promise!

And after you savor its deliciousness, let me know what you think. 🙂

Xoxo – Lara

Note – I used JENNIE-O Italian turkeys sausage in this recipe. I am not compensated to be a part of Jennie-O’s Switch Circle except for the occasional complimentary turkey products to try. Opinions are my own.

You may love these pasta recipes as well:

Cheesy Turkey Penne Pasta (Instant Pot)

Spicy Turkey Sausage Pasta

Pasta with Garden Veggies and Turkey Sausage

Rigatoni with Turkey Sausage and Fennel

Ina Garten

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Ingredients

  

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cups chopped fennel 1 large bulb
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
• 1 16-ounce package JENNIE-O® Lean Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seeds crushed with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup dry white wine I used Sauvignon Blanc
• 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 over medium heat.
• Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
• Add the turkey sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork or wooden spoon, 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.
• 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 individual au gratin bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan sprinkled on top*

Notes

*If you are making this dish the night before, follow the directions above and in the final step, you may scoop the entire mixture into a large casserole dish, sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and refrigerate.
Prior to serving, bake at 375 degrees F. for approximately 45 minutes or until heated through and the top is golden and bubbly.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!