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Home » Pasta

Pear, Gouda, and Chicken Sausage Rigatoni with Spinach

Published: Feb 27, 2020 · Modified: Jul 30, 2022 by Brooke · This post may contain affiliate links, which can earn us a commission.

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spoonful of sausage, pear, and gouda rigatoni
holding a bowl of sausage, pear, and gouda rigatoni

If dinner needs to be on the table quickly, this pear, gouda, and chicken sausage rigatoni with spinach is one recipe you'll want to remember.

From the photo, it might look like there isn't a sauce on the pasta, but rest assured there is.  It's a simple pan sauce.  Never made a pan sauce?  No worries, read on to find out how its done.

bowl of sausage, pear, and gouda rigatoni

Jump to:
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make
  • Questions
  • Pro Tips
  • Recipe
  • Comments

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for pear, sausage, gouda rigatoni

How to Make

Gather all the ingredients; then cut the sausage, red pepper, gouda, and red pear.

cooking the sausage mixture and deglazing the pan
  1. In a large skillet, saute the sausage, red pepper, red pear, and spinach.
  2. De-glaze the skillet with white wine using a flat wooden spoon, called a turner.

Cook the wine until it is reduced by half, then remove from heat.  Whisk in butter one tablespoon at a time and season with salt and pepper.

cooking the pasta and tossing it in a sauce

3. Pour the simple pan sauce over the rigatoni noodles.

4. Stir to coat the pasta.

mixing the dish in a pan and serving in a bowl

5. Add the rigatoni and the sausage mixture back to the skillet.  Stir and heat through.

6. Serve in a pretty serving bowl.  Garnish with tiny cubes of Gouda, fresh thyme leaves, and a grind or two fresh black pepper.

Picture perfect.  Now all that's left to do is bring it to a table of hungry children and let them dig in!

Questions

How do you make a simple pan sauce?

  1.  De-glaze the pan with a flavorful liquid, like white wine, or a combination of wine and stock.
  2.  Scrap off the caramelized bits on the bottom with a flat wooden spoon called a turner and bring to a boil.
  3.  Reduce liquid to half.  This should take 3 to 5 minutes.
  4.  Remove from heat and whisk in the fat: either butter or cream.
  5.  If you want to thicken the sauce, return to the heat and whisk in a bit of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water or stock.
  6.  Season with salt and pepper.
  7.  To change things up, whisk in Dijon mustard, miso, or Worchestire sauce after step 4, or add shallots, garlic, and fresh herbs to the pan before step 1.

What are the calories for one serving?

For one 2 cup serving, it is 613 calories and has 48.7g of carbs.  This recipe has 115% of your daily intake of vitamin C.  For more nutritional information, scroll past the recipe card.

Can you freeze leftovers?

Unfortunately, this recipe doesn't freeze that well.  It tastes best if eaten the same day, but if you have leftovers, cover them tightly and they will keep for up to 3 days, with the exception of the red pear.  Make sure the pear is eaten the same day.

Pro Tips

  • Cook your pasta until al-dente.
  • Use a stainless steel or cast iron skillet.
  • De-glaze your pan with white wine.
  • For your pan sauce, add butter or cream for your fat.
  • Cut the Gouda into tiny cubes instead of grating it for the garnish.
  • Use fresh thyme during the garnish stage instead of in the pan sauce.

Other Pasta Dishes You'll Love

  • Chick-fil-A Mac and Cheese Recipe
  • Creamy Bow Tie Pasta
  • Panera Broccoli Cheddar Mac and Cheese
  • Alfredo Basil Sauce

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Recipe

person holding a bowl of pear, sausage, and gouda rigatoni

Pear, Gouda, and Chicken Sausage Rigatoni with Spinach

Pear, gouda, and chicken sausage rigatoni with spinach is an easy homemade recipe that has a simple pan sauce that coats the pasta.  Add red pepper, red pear, and fresh spinach for color.  It’s a great option for a quick weeknight meal to serve your family for dinner.
4 from 4 votes
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Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: baked pasta, baked rigatoni, sausage rigatoni
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 10 cups
Calories: 250kcal
Author: Brooke

Ingredients
 

  • 8 ounces dry rigatoni
  • 1 teaspoon salt, for cooking pasta
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound pear, gouda, and chicken sausage, pre-cooked and coined
  • 1 ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 red pear, cored and cubed into bite size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, toss with the pear
  • 4 cups fresh spinach
  • 1 ½ cups white cooking wine
  • 3 tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pats
  • kosher salt and black pepper, to taste
  • ½ cup gouda cheese, finely cubed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, for garnish
  • Fresh black pepper, for garnish

Instructions

  • Cook the rigatoni with salt according to the package directions until it is al dente.  Drain and rinse with cold water, then toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
  • While the water is boiling for the pasta, start on the sausage mixture.  Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into a large skillet over medium high heat, then add the sausage and the red pepper.  Cook for 4 minutes while stirring occasionally.  Add the pear and cook for 2 minutes, then add the spinach and stir constantly until it is wilted and has turned a bright green.
  • Remove the sausage mixture from the skillet and transfer to a large plate.
  • Start making the pan sauce by deglazing the pan with the wine over medium high heat.  Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (called fond) with a flat wooden spoon.  The fond will add flavor to the sauce.
  • Cook until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in one tablespoon of butter at a time.  Season to taste with a sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
  • Pour the pan sauce over the pasta and stir until well coated.
  • Add the pasta and sausage mixture back to the skillet, set over medium heat, and stir until well combined.  Cook for 3 minutes or until heated through.
  • Serve immediately with a garnish of smoked Gouda cubes and a generous sprinkle of fresh thyme and cracked black pepper.

Notes

  • Al-dente pasta is what you want.
  • Use white wine to de-glaze the pan.
  • Butter or cream are great choices for your pan sauce's fat component.
  • This dish looks best when the Gouda is cut into tiny cubes.
  • Instead of using it in the pan sauce, use the fresh thyme during the garnish stage.

Nutrition

Calories: 250kcal (13%)Carbohydrates: 28g (9%)Protein: 7g (14%)Fat: 10g (15%)Saturated Fat: 5g (31%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 23mg (8%)Sodium: 378mg (16%)Potassium: 273mg (8%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 2078IU (42%)Vitamin C: 37mg (45%)Calcium: 116mg (12%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

This post was originally published on August 22, 2018.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ellie Fournier

    July 29, 2022 at 10:25 pm

    Hi Brooke & Emma,

    Just thought you might like to know that you included "1 T lime juice* with ingredients.
    However, there is absolutely no mention of lime juice in the Instructions.
    You might want to fix that.

    Reply
    • Emma

      July 30, 2022 at 7:15 am

      Ellie, Thanks for letting us know. The lime juice is tossed with the pear to prevent it from turning brown. If you make this recipe, please let us know how it turned out.

      Reply
  2. Rosie

    March 30, 2022 at 7:04 pm

    5 stars
    One of the best recipes I've had in a long time!! Used roasted red peppers and added a clove of minced garlic and it came out beautifully.

    Reply
    • Emma

      March 31, 2022 at 6:18 am

      Thank you so much, Rosie! We're glad you enjoyed this pasta!

      Reply
  3. Beth

    October 16, 2019 at 11:19 am

    5 stars
    The sausage is great. The pear in the sausage adds a neat twist. The pictures look nice!

    Reply
    • Emma

      October 16, 2019 at 12:18 pm

      Thank you, Beth! I'm glad that you enjoyed this dish.

      Reply

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