Creamy Garlic Rigatoni with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Creamy Garlic Rigatoni with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes is the comfort dish that you need! Tender rigatoni with a garlicky cream sauce, fresh spinach, sweet yet tangy sun-dried tomatoes, and freshly grated parmesan cheese. It's perfect for entertaining, and it's vegetarian-friendly.
Ingredients
Creamy Garlic Sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves chopped or minced garlic
- 1½ cups Whole Goat Milk or Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/4 cup cooking white wine optional
- 1 to 1½ cups freshly grated or shredded Parmesan cheese I like it cheesy!
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (for slurry to thicken if needed)
Rigatoni Pasta
- 2 cups of dry pasta, cooked to al dente
- 2 tablespoon olive oil (for pasta)
- 1 generous handful of spinach
- 1 cup olive-oil infused sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 generous pinch red chili flakes optional
Instructions
Creamy Garlic Sauce
- Add oil to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chopped garlic. Whisk in flour to form a paste; cook and stir for 3 minutes.
- Add kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, onion powder, and stir.
- Whisk in goat's milk, parmesan cheese, and cooking wine (optional). Cook and stir continuously until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Note - For a Thicker Sauce: Add flour to make a slurry to reach desired sauce thickness (1 tablespoon at a time). 1:1 ratio with water (1 tablespoon flour = 1 tablespoon of water)
Prepare Rigatoni Pasta
- Bring 5-6 quarts of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.
- Boil pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally for 12 minutes or until al dente. Remove from heat and drain. Set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Transfer pasta to large pan, then add spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and toss.
- Pour creamy garlic sauce over pasta and spinach, then toss until fully coated.
- Top with crushed red peppers and parmesan cheese.
- Serve and enjoy!