Rigatoni Sausage Bake

⏱ 70 mins 🍽 6 serving(s) 🏷 Spinach

This hearty bake layers rigatoni pasta with a flavourful sausage and vegetable sauce, all topped with a creamy white sauce and mature cheddar. It is an excellent choice for preparing in advance, making it ideal for gatherings or family dinners. The dish bakes until golden and bubbling, requiring just a brief rest before serving. It yields six generous portions and takes about 70 minutes from start to finish.

Rigatoni Sausage Bake

Ingredients

  • 14 ounces good quality pork sausage links
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 large carrot, grated
  • 1/4 pint red wine
  • 1/2 pint vegetable stock
  • 3 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 2 ounces butter
  • 2 ounces flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1 (500 g) package rigatoni pasta
  • 8 ounces fresh spinach (1/2 lb)
  • 5 ounces mature cheddar cheese, grated

Method

  1. Set your oven to 190*C (375*F).
  2. Remove the sausage meat from its casings and chop it into small pieces.
  3. Warm the olive oil in a pan, then cook the chopped onion for 5 minutes until soft and starting to colour.
  4. Add the sausage pieces to the pan and fry until they begin to brown.
  5. Mix in the grated carrot, followed by the red wine, vegetable stock and tomato puree, seasoning as you go.
  6. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer without a lid for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.
  7. Check the seasoning and adjust if needed.
  8. Take the sausage sauce off the heat and set it aside.
  9. In a separate pan, melt the butter.
  10. Blend in the flour until smooth, then gradually pour in the milk while whisking.
  11. Continue to cook and stir the sauce until it becomes thick and smooth.
  12. Season the sauce and add a generous grating of nutmeg, then let it simmer for 2 minutes.
  13. Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of salted boiling water until it is tender.
  14. Turn off the heat, stir the fresh spinach into the pasta pot and let it wilt, then drain everything together.
  15. Place half of the drained pasta and spinach mix into a shallow ovenproof dish.
  16. Gently shake the dish to create an even layer.
  17. Spoon all of the sausage sauce over the pasta, then top with the remaining pasta mixture.
  18. Pour the prepared white sauce over the entire dish and finish with a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese.
  19. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
  20. Allow the bake to stand for 5 minutes before you serve it.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sodium724200 mg

Recipe details

CategorySpinach
AuthorMarieRynr