Beef Rigatoni Rosa
with Cream Cheese, Zucchini & Parm
- Wheat
- Milk
Fun fact: “Rosa” means “pink” in Italian. For our chefs’ version of rigatoni rosa, you’ll make a homemade pink sauce with a savory sausage base and a sprinkle of chili flakes (for a little heat!). Toss that with rigatoni and sautéed zucchini, then sprinkle Parmesan all over and we promise: you’ll be blushing from all the compliments you receive on this meal.
Ingredients
6 ounce
Rigatoni Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 unit
Tomato Paste
1 unit
Zucchini
4 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
10 ounce
Ground Beef
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
6 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
1 clove
Garlic
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
½ teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
Wash and dry produce.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once water is boiling, add rigatoni; cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes.
Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water (1½ cups for 4 servings), then drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; slice crosswise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons. Peel and mince or grate garlic.
While pasta cooks, heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender, 5-6 minutes. Remove pan from heat; transfer zucchini to a plate.
Remove sausage* from casing if necessary; discard casing. Heat another drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until almost cooked through, 3-4 minutes (it’ll finish cooking in the next step).
Stir garlic and tomato paste into pan with sausage; cook until garlic is fragrant, tomato paste is well distributed, and sausage is fully cooked, 1-2 minutes.
Stir in cream cheese, stock concentrate, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (ladle straight from the pot if pasta hasn’t finished cooking yet), 1 TBSP butter, ½ tsp sugar, and a pinch of chili flakes to taste. (For 4 servings, use ¾ cup pasta cooking water, 2 TBSP butter, and 1 tsp sugar.) Remove from heat.
Add drained rigatoni and zucchini to pan with sauce. Stir in half the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
Divide between bowls; top with remaining Parmesan and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Sep 2026- Flavor: Some found it mild and compared it to an elevated Hamburger Helper; others loved the rich, creamy sauce 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Quick and easy to pull together, making it a reliable weeknight option.
- Suggestions: Boost flavor by adding extra garlic, a yellow onion, or an Italian spice blend to the meat and sauce. If the sauce feels too thin or dry, double the pasta water, tomato paste, cream cheese, and butter to increase volume.
- Leftovers: Some felt the pasta-to-meat ratio was off; doubling the other ingredients when using extra meat helps balance the dish.
- Protein: Stick with Italian sausage rather than ground beef — reviewers found the sausage version far more flavorful and less greasy.
