Rigatoni with Sausage and Tomato Cream

Tips

• Brown the sausage hard. Let the crumbles sit and crisp before stirring. Pale sausage makes a flat sauce, and the browned bits carry into the tomato.

• Spoon off excess sausage fat. Some sausages render a lot of fat. Tip off all but a spoonful before the garlic goes in, or the cream sauce turns greasy.

• Let the tomatoes cook down. The 10 minute simmer drives off the raw canned taste and thickens the sauce, so the cream coats the pasta rather than thinning out.

Swaps

• No Italian pork sausage? Italian turkey or chicken sausage, with a little extra oil since they are leaner.

• No Heavy cream? Half-and-half stirred in off the boil so it does not curdle, or a spoonful of mascarpone.

• No Crushed tomatoes? Strained tomatoes (passata), or canned whole tomatoes crushed by hand.

Storage

• Fridge: 3 to 4 days in a sealed container. The pasta absorbs the sauce, so add a splash of water when reheating.

• Freezer: Not worth freezing once the cream is in: it splits on thawing. The sausage and tomato sauce, frozen before the cream, keeps 2 to 3 months.

• Reheat: In a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water, stirring, until steaming hot (75°C in the center).

Fridge and reheating follow Illinois Extension; freezer times are for quality and follow the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, as on what freezes and what does not.