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This creamy Italian chicken sausage pasta recipe is one of those meals I return to again and again. It’s bright with lemon, rich with cheese, and bound together with that magical Italian technique called mantecare, where you toss the pasta with the sauce and a little pasta water to create a velvety, clingy coating that feels like it came from a restaurant kitchen.
This dish makes two generous portions at dinner and enough leftovers for 1–2 easy lunches the next day. This dish delivers beautifully every time.
Jump to:
- Getting Started
- Ingredient Recommendations
- Ingredient Alternatives
- Finishing Touches
- Pairings
- Leftovers
- Recipe
Getting Started
As you get started, here are a few tools I swear by:
- Bench scraper – As you prepare your produce on your cutting board, a bench scraper makes quick work of clearing the board of one ingredient so it’s ready for the next.
- Ramekins – I keep the smaller ingredients like the scallion white, scallion greens, and lemon zest in little ramekins so it’s ready when I need to toss it in.
- Zester – A good lemon zester makes quick work. For the record, I use all of the lemon zest when it comes time to toss it into the sauce.
- Glass measuring cup – When I drain the pasta, I always use a glass measuring cup to reserve some pasta water—don’t skip this step. That starchy water is the mantecare key to that luxurious, glossy sauce.
Chicken Sausage Pasta Recipe Ingredient Recommendations
Sausage
I’m lucky my local butcher carries a chicken-based Italian sausage. I prefer it over pork, though pork will also work. Either way, make sure you’re using raw, ground sausage, not the pre-cooked links.
Sour Cream, Cream Cheese, and Parmesan
I’ve made this with all store-brand dairy items, and it turns out great every time. Use whatever you have on hand. If you’re measuring cream cheese and don’t have the ounce measurements on the package, you can go by tablespoons. Two tablespoons equals 1 ounce, so for this recipe, you will need 4 tablespoons.
Scallions
I recommend using fresh, whole scallions, but in a pinch, here are two dry ingredients you can use from your pantry. Onion powder is a fine substitute for the white scallions. And dried green scallions or chives work for the scallion greens.
Chicken Sausage Pasta Recipe Ingredient Alternatives
Vegetarian Option
This pasta could work beautifully as a meatless meal. Try omitting the sausage and enjoy the veggies and creamy pasta.
Chicken Sausage Pasta Recipe Finishing Touches
Serve this pasta in warmed pasta bowls—trust me, it makes a difference. Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten everything up. I usually serve the wedges on the side (in a ramekin) because I can never resist adding a little more as I eat.
Chicken Sausage Pasta Recipe Pairings
If you want to round out the meal, here’s what I serve alongside:
- A glass of white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- A crisp green salad
- Garlic cheese bread
- Roasted broccoli
Chicken Sausage Pasta Recipe Leftovers
This recipe always gives me two generous dinner portions, plus 1–2 lunch servings. Store the leftovers in the fridge and reheat in the microwave. The sauce stays creamy and delicious even the next day. Don’t forget to heat up a slice of garlic bread in the air fryer to go with it.
Cooking for two doesn’t mean cutting corners or skipping flavor. This dish is one of those weeknight wins that feels a little fancy, tastes a lot comforting, and doesn’t leave you with a sink full of dishes.
Let me know if you try it—I’d love to hear how it turns out for you.
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Italian Chicken Sausage Rigatoni in a Creamy Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 scallions
- 1 roma tomato
- 1 lemon
- 1 lb Italian Chicken Sausage
- 8 oz rigatoni pasta
- 2 oz cream cheese
- 4 tbsp sour cream
- ¼ c shredded Parmesan cheese
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Wash and dry all produce. Halve, core, and thinly slice bell pepper into strips. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Dice tomato into ½" pieces. Zest and quarter lemon.
- Remove sausage from casing, if applicable.
- Once water is boiling, add rigatoni to pot. Cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve ½ cup past cooking water, then drain.
- Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and scallion whites; cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add sausage to pan; cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
- Once sausage is cooked through, add tomato to pan. Cook until softened, 102 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.
- Stir in cream cheese, sour cream and half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving), ¼ cup reserved pasta water and butter until thoroughly combined.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon zest to taste. Add drained rigatoni and toss to coat. If needed, stir in more reserved pasta water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
- Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with scallion greens, remaining Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon juice. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.