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, honey cardamom apple pie 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.

I used gala apples in my recipe, but there are plenty of other apples that would work well, too.

I rough chopped the apples, and onions and peppers into bite sized pieces.

Then, I seared the chicken sausage in a hot pan with olive oil so it was browned on all sides, all crispy and juicy.

While the sausages rested for a few minutes, I sauteed the apples, onions and peppers in the pan juices.

After a few minutes, I sliced the sausages, and they went in, too.

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 (or another cooking apple
• 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

Instructions

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.

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.

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.

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. Once the pasta has cooked for 10 minutes, add the pasta and parsley to the skillet and toss them with the apples, veggies and sausage, and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve with crusty bread and Parmesan.