My easy shrimp and Italian sausage pasta is smothered in a spicy Parmesan cream sauce on top of a bed of rigatoni. It’s the perfect dinner after a long day and easy to get on your dinner table.
Doesn’t this sauteed shrimp and Italian sausage pasta just look absolutely delicious?
My college girlfriend and I were having dinner together at a restaurant in Dublin Ohio called Tucci’s to catch up.
We usually dine Italian where we can get our pasta served with the most creative ingredients.
I ordered the sausage and shrimp rigatoni pasta dish in a spicy Parmesan cream sauce and it was fantastic!
The combination of shrimp and sausage with fresh pasta was amazing because it had a little spice and sweetness at the same time.
I love to try to re-create recipes I’ve enjoyed dining out.
Pasta is easy to work with because it goes with so many different ingredients.
It’s hard to mess up. And most pasta recipes are kid friendly. This recipe was easy to replicate.
INGREDIENTS YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS EASY RECIPE
Rigatoni. Any kind of pasta works like penne, ziti or campanelle will do but rigatoni allows the sauce to coat evenly.
Sausage. Hot spicy sausage gives the right amount of heat to this recipe. You’ll need at least 2 links.
Shrimp. You’ll need about a half a cup of fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined.
Sweet bell pepper. Orange, yellow and red peppers add a hint of color and adds sweetness to this dish.
Onion. Sweet Vidalia onion is my go-to onion for just about any recipe that calls for it.
Garlic. Fresh or jarred minced garlic is what you’ll need, about 2 teaspoons.
Cream. One cup of heavy cream.
Parmesan cheese. Splurge and pick up a container of fresh grated or shredded Parmesan cheese from your deli department.
Marinara. I like to stick with a tomato and basil jarred marinara, like Classico brand.
Herbs. You should already have dried basil, red pepper flakes, black pepper and cayenne pepper in your pantry. If not grab what you need.
Olive oil. Extra Virgin.
Butter. At least a stick.
HOW TO MAKE SHRIMP AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA
Spicy browned bits of ground hot sausage and sweet shrimp get dunked in a spicy Parmesan cream sauce for an easy dinner.
Less than 30 minutes from pantry to table, this recipe it’s perfect for a mid week family meal or dinner for two.
Rigatoni holds creamy sauces extremely well. Penne pasta would also work well with this great recipe.
Sweet red bell peppers add color and contrast perfectly with the bite from the sauce.
Serve this pasta dish with a side salad and crusty French bread.
This simple cream sauce is the perfect balance between cream and tomatoes.
I used marinara because I had an open jar in my fridge.
But canned crushed or diced tomatoes would work just as well.
If sausage is not your thing be sure to try my Chicken & Wild Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo or Angel Hair Pasta with Pancetta, Pine Nuts and Chicken.
Prefer a meaty red sauce? Then look no further than my Meat Lover’s Tomato Sauce.
If you love pasta as much as I do be sure to follow me on Pinterest for all my latest recipes.
Side dishes for Shrimp and Italian Sausage Pasta
No Knead Dutch Oven Crusty Bread
Tomato and Arugula Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Autumn Pear Salad with Citrus Dressing
Skillet Grilled Romaine Hearts with Homemade Caesar Dressing
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Easy Shrimp and Italian Sausage Pasta in a Spicy Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 box rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup hot Italian sausage, 2 links removed from casing
- 1/2 cup shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup diced sweet onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup tomato marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup butter, 1 stick
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water until it is al dente or according to the box directions. Drain the cooked pasta and set aside. In a large skillet heat the olive oil and add the onion. Sauté at medium high heat for three minutes.
- Add the sausage and brown with a slotted spoon, about five minutes.
- Add the garlic and red bell pepper and sauté 3 minutes until the bell pepper has softened. Next make the Alfredo sauce.
- In a separate small pot stir the heavy cream, butter, Parmesan cheese, marinara, and spices over medium heat and allow to simmer and bubble.
- Add the shrimp to the large sauté pan and cook for 3 minutes until pink. Stir in the cream sauce and pasta and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
If you make a recipe, be sure to snap a photo and hashtag it #homeandplate. I’d love to see what you cook!
You had me at the word spicy. My husband would love this, and I could easily make a veggie variation for me too.
This recipe would be delicious vegetarian. Just the addition of lots of veggies would be phenomenal. Thanks so much.
Ooh that sauce sounds amazing! I love anything spicy and creamy – right up my street 🙂
Becca this recipe was so easy to make. And in under 30 minutes it’s a keeper. ?
With the blend of flavors, this has got to be good. It is so fun re-creating restaurant recipes at home.
I agree. Sometimes the best recipes are ones that come from a little inspiration. Thanks Christine.
Ah that pasta looks so good, I swear I started salivating the second the page loaded!
Thanks Tina. It was easy to eat and oh so flavorful. ?
I’d love a bowl of this right now!
If you lived next-door I’d bring you a bowl. Thanks for the love.
This shrimp and sausage rigatoni is easy to make. I used turkey sausage and not a lot of red pepper because I prefer my food milder. Its real good
What a great idea using turkey sausage to make this dish. I like my food milder than my husband so I think adjusting the amount of red pepper is an individual choice. Delicious dinner any way you make it. Thanks Sherri 🙂
This was sooo good – definitely restaurant quality. I’ve often wondered how to duplicate the cream sauces that I’ve had while dining out and now I know. I doubled most ingredients since I used a whole box of pasta (did not double the heavy cream or butter) and it came out great. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Glad to hear this recipe was a winner 🙂
My husband had this at Tuccis last weekend and asked me try to duplicate it today. After he ate 2 bites he said ‘you nailed it’ , so KUDOS to you!!
Great flavor, very easy recipe . Thanks for posting, you made my day.!
I am so glad to hear this! We love this dish and I think it was pretty easy to replicate. Glad you guys loved it 🙂
Delicious and so easy to make. We loved it. For the 2nd 1/2 tsp of basil I used oregano.
So glad you liked it! Love the substitution to make it your own.
This turned out great! Wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it was. I halved the amount of cayenne and left out most of the pepper because there was already enough heat . Thanks so much for sharing this!!!