Rigatoni with Italian sausage sauce

This pasta sauce is perfect for mid-week when you don't feel like cooking something complicated.

This recipe was first published in Delicious magazine

Vital statistics:

15 minutes preparation time, once you have got your Italian sausages from the shop. 25 minutes cooking time. Serves 4.

You will need:

• A big bowl for mixing.
• Large frying pan.
• A big pot for cooking the pasta.

Ingredients:

1. Four Italian sausages (or any flavoursome sausage you fancy).
2. Two tablespoons of olive oil.
3. One red onion.
4. A big handful of fresh rosemary chopped well.
5. Two cloves of garlic, crushed.
6. 300g of mushrooms, sliced.
7. Two small dried red chillies, crumbled (or grab the chilli flakes).
8. Two cans of diced tomatoes.
9. 250g of rigatoni pasta.
10. 150g of thick cream.
11. 150g parmesan cheese, grated. (Half for the sauce and half for sprinkling on at the end)

Method:

1. Peel open the sausages and put the meat into a bowl, and discard the sausage skin.
2. Heat the oil in a large fry pan over a medium heat, and when the oil is ready add the onion and rosemary and cook until it starts to soften.
3. Increase the heat and add the garlic and sausage meat, mushrooms and chilli flakes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sausages are lightly browned.
4. Reduce the heat to low and cook for a further 5 minutes.
5. Add the tinned tomatoes, mashing into the sausage mixture and then bring to the boil, and reduce the heat to low so you can simmer it for a further 10 minutes. Stir to thicken the sauce.
6. Meanwhile cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling salted water - following the packet directions. Drain and set aside.
7. Stir the cream and half the parmesan into the sauce, and then toss with the pasta.
8. Serve with the remaining parmesan sprinkled on top.