Summary of "Sausage Rigatoni with Condensed Tomato Soup Sauce"

Sausage Rigatoni with Condensed Tomato Soup Sauce

Presenter: Backyard Share Farm — Rick

Rigatoni (or similar tubular pasta) — enough for a family meal (cook to al dente per packet instructions)
Pork sausages (meat removed from skins) — or any sausage (beef or skinless; skip de-skinning for skinless)
1 can condensed tomato soup (main sauce base)
Milk (to rinse the soup can and thin the sauce) — or water if preferred
1 onion, diced
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
Olive oil or butter, for frying
Dried oregano (a good pinch) — or Italian seasoning
Black pepper, to taste
Salt — use cautiously (sausage and condensed soup can be salty)
Mozzarella (or cheddar) for topping — optional
Optional: reserved pasta water to loosen/thicken the sauce

Preheat oven to 180°C (≈350°F).
Boil pasta in well-salted water and cook to al dente per packet instructions (it will finish cooking in the oven).
Remove sausage meat from skins if using sausages with casings.
In a frying pan over medium heat with a little olive oil or butter, crumble and brown the sausage meat until it picks up a little color — keep some chunks for texture.
Add the diced onion and cook until no longer raw. Season lightly with black pepper (be careful with salt).
Add minced garlic and cook briefly to remove the raw garlic flavor.
Sprinkle in a pinch of dried oregano (or Italian seasoning) and let it bloom in the fat/sausage juices.
Add the condensed tomato soup to the pan. Rinse the empty soup can with milk (or water) and add that liquid to the pan to thin the soup into a sauce; stir to combine.
Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir well to coat. If desired, add a splash of reserved pasta water to create a starchy, clingy sauce.
Transfer the sauced pasta and sausage mixture into an ovenproof dish and spread evenly.
Top with mozzarella or cheddar to get a melty, crusty topping.
Bake at 180°C (≈350°F) until the cheese is melted and the top is nicely crusted — about 15 minutes (watch for desired browning).
Remove from the oven, let cool/settle for about 5 minutes, then serve.

Cook pasta al dente since it finishes cooking in the oven.
Taste and adjust salt carefully — both sausages and condensed soup can be salty.
Browning the sausage adds color and flavor; small lumps are fine.
Rinse the condensed soup can with milk for extra creaminess, or use water if you prefer less rich.
Adding reserved pasta water creates a thicker, starchy coating on the pasta.
Let the baked dish rest ~5 minutes before serving to settle.
This is freezer-friendly — portion and freeze cooked/baked servings for later.