Chicken Sausage Rigatoni Napoletano
with Peas, Chili Flakes & Creamy Garlic Sauce
- Wheat
- Milk
A bowl of pasta never fails to satisfy—it’s quick, carby, comforting, and our total go-to for a cozy meal. When you add sweet Italian chicken sausage, green peas, tomato, and Parmesan to the equation, you’ve reached another level of deliciousness entirely. Ready to enjoy bite after bite of al dente rigatoni cloaked in a creamy, dreamy lemon garlic sauce? We thought so.
Ingredients
6 ounce
Rigatoni Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
9 ounce
Italian Chicken Sausage Mix
4 ounce
Peas
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Lemon
1 clove
Garlic
1 unit
Tomato
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry all produce. • Cut tomato into ½-inch-thick wedges. Peel and finely chop garlic. Zest and quarter lemon
• Once water is boiling, add rigatoni to pot. Cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • In the last 2 minutes of cooking, reserve ¾ cup pasta cooking water, then add peas to same pot and cook until tender. Drain.
• Meanwhile, heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage* and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned, 3-5 minutes (it’ll cook through later). Season with salt and a pinch of chili flakes.
• Add tomato and garlic to pan with sausage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomato is slightly softened, 1-2 minutes. • Cut top off carton of cream sauce base to open fully; pour contents into pan. Using a spoon or spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from carton into pan.
• Pour in ¼ cup water (1⁄3 cup for 4 servings). Bring to a simmer and cook until sauce is slightly thickened and sausage is cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Reduce heat to low. • Stir in half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving) and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted. • Add lemon juice and lemon zest to taste. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add drained rigatoni and peas to pan with sauce; toss to coat. If needed, stir in reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in a creamy sauce. (For 4 servings, you may need to transfer everything into large pot.) • Divide pasta between bowls and top with remaining Parmesan and a pinch of chili flakes if desired. Serve with any remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the creamy, flavorful sauce with a nice kick from the chili flakes; some found the chicken sausage too spicy or peppery.
- Ease of prep: Customers praised how quick and easy this dish was to make, with clear instructions and simple steps.
- Suggestions: Consider using a smaller pasta shape like penne; some preferred less peas or more vegetables like mushrooms or bell peppers.
- Portions: Generous servings left many with leftovers; some felt there was too much sausage compared to pasta and vegetables.
- Texture: The large rigatoni noodles were divisive; some loved them while others found them too chewy or overwhelming.
Reviews from our home cooks
SUCH a good pasta! I added extra Parmesan and it was an excellent meal. Between the savory of the chicken sausage, the heat of the chili flakes, the bitter of lemon, and sweet taste of peas... HelloFresh hit the nail on the head with this pasta.
I loved this dish! The chicken sausage was so good! This recipe yielded a lot too, almost 5 servings instead of the 2 listed. Quick and easy to whip up and the chili flakes and squeeze of lemon was a great finish.
We loved the flavor of the chicken sausage. It would have been helpful to know on the recipe if the peas were supposed to be added frozen or thawed. We also have a problem with our tomatoes not lasting long enough- I usually have to rebuy them.
Enjoyed this dish, will be ordering again. Diverse flavors with sausage, creamy garlic sauce, peas and chili flakes.
Since this was chicken sausage, I wasn't aware it had Italian seasoning. That's more typical for pork sausage. The fennel flavor in this was incredibly strong, and I hate that taste. The pasta and peas were good, but the rest was nearly inedible for me. Perhaps make it a little more obvious that this has Italian seasoning by naming it "Italian chicken sausage rigatoni napoletano."
Great flavor. The Rigatoni was very big - I might have gone with a smaller noodle to get full flavor of other ingredients, but still excellent.
I prefer a lighter pasta but my Italian husband enjoyed the rigatoni. The chicken sausage was EXCELLENT. Also would have added more veggies. The flavor was excellent!! Would order again!
This was the tastiest meal yet. The flavor combinations are spot on. Make sure to cook the rigatoni a bit al dente
Nice recipe. I have never had chicken sausage so it was a chance to try something new. Good flavor.
The chicken sausage has a lot of pepper but adds to the flavor of the dish
