Chicken Sausage and Apple Rigatoni

Chicken sausage and apple rigatoni takes about thirty minutes from start to finish, which means it’s a snap to pull together on a busy weeknight!

Fall is right around the corner, and apple everything is going to be in the air—apple scented candles, apple cider, homemade slow cooker applesauce, apple pie.

Evenings are crisp and cool, and the sun is still warm throughout the day. It’s a phenomenal time of year; one of my absolute favorites!

Though many of the recipes I make with apples are sweet (like apple cinnamon cheesecake bars or apple bread), apples also make a great addition to savory meals and they pair wonderfully with meats like pork and chicken.

And especially well with the chicken sausage in this simple stove top rigatoni recipe. In this case I used gala apples, but there are plenty of other apples that would work well, too.

First, I rough chopped the apples, and onions and peppers into bite sized pieces. I left my apples unpeeled, but if you prefer no peel go ahead and remove them!

Then I seared the chicken sausage in a hot pan with olive oil so the links were browned on all sides … all perfectly crispy and juicy.

Once done, I let the sausages rest for a few minutes on a plate, and then I sauteed the apples, onions and peppers in the pan juices and pasta water.

After a few minutes I sliced the sausages and they went in, too, followed by a quick toss with the rigatoni.

Mmmm…

I love the fact that this meal is pretty much ready in one single pan, aside from the pot I used to boil the rigatoni, and ready in under thirty minutes.

Chicken Sausage and Apple Rigatoni

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Chicken sausage and apple rigatoni takes about thirty minutes from start to finish, which means it's a snap to pull together on a busy weeknight!

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Ingredients

• 8 ounces dried rigatoni
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 package chicken sausage links
• 1 bell pepper, sliced
• 2 gala apples, chopped into bite-sized pieces
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1/2 cup pasta water
• 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup parmesan (for garnish)

Instructions

1. Set a large pot of water with 2 tablespoons of salt to boil on the stove. Add the rigatoni and cook it for 10 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water, then drain your rigatoni.
2. Meanwhile, add the olive oil to a large skillet and warm it over medium-high heat. Add the sausages, searing them for 1-2 minutes on each side until they're browned evenly. Remove them to a plate to rest.
3. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the apples, peppers and onions. Sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon sea salt, the garlic powder, pepper and red pepper flakes, and saute them for 5 minutes or until everything begins to soften.
4. Slice the sausages, and toss them with the veggies in the skillet. Pour in the chicken stock and the pasta water, increase the heat to medium-high to bring it to a simmer. Add the cooked rigatoni and parsley to the skillet and toss them with the apples, veggies and sausage, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
5. Serve with crusty bread and parmesan.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 309 Total Fat: 14g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 9g Cholesterol: 30mg Sodium: 972mg Carbohydrates: 32g Net Carbohydrates: 0g Fiber: 2g Sugar: 4g Sugar Alcohols: 0g Protein: 15g