Italian on Sam's Recipes

Sausage Rigatoni with Rosé Sauce

Thu, 15 Jan 2026 22:50:53 -0400

Ingredients

1 Lb Rigatoni
1 6oz package of Spinach
1 Lb Sweet Italian Sausage
1 Yellow Onion, diced
3 Cloves of Garlic, crushed
1/4 Cup White Wine
1 45oz container DelGrosso Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
1 Wedge Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated.
Olive Oil, for cooking
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes

Instructions

In a pan over medium high heat add some oil then the spinach, keep moving it around till it sweats down. Remove from the pan and place on a dish.
Bring a bot of salted water to a boil, salty like the sea, to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente, or almost done. Drain into a colander.
While the pasta cooks: In a pan, over medium heat, brown the sausage in a little oil. Transfer the sausage to a colander and let it drain. Getting good brown color on the sausage here will add a lot of flavor later. Squish the sausage so it takes up as much of the pan as possible, let it sit for a little so it browns, then flip and break apart.
You should still have some fat in the pan, add the butter to this. Add the onion and cook till softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and a good sprinkle of red pepper flakes. Cook till the garlic doesn’t smell raw.
Deglaze the pan with the white wine. Reduce until the liquid is thick/almost gone. Au Sec.
Add most of the pasta sauce. Let everything come to a simmer.
Add the sausage back in and add the heavy cream. The pasta sauce should be about this color, but it does not need to be exact:
Taste the sauce, you will need to add salt. If it is too spicy for you, add some more cream. If theres no spice, add some more pepper flakes.
When the pasta is cooked and you get this far with the sauce it is time to combine them. Add the pasta to the pot you cooked it in and then pour in the sauce.
The spinach should be cool, press the liquid out of it. Then chop it and add it to the pot with the pasta and sauce. Add in some cheese and mix to combine. You will know you have enough cheese when you see strands of the cheese as you mix the pasta and the sauce is thickened.

Notes

The pasta sauce is very regional, substitute with your favorite if you can’t get the one listed.
If you want the sauce smoother, you can use an immersion blender or food processor after you add the tomato sauce, Do it between steps 6 and 7.
The cheese needs to be freshly grated so it completely melts into the sauce.
The cream will counteract the heat from a lot of the pepper so you should add a little more than you think you need.

Prosciutto and Melon Salad

Tue, 11 Nov 2025 12:47:16 -0500

Ingredients

Half a Lemon
3 Cups bite-size pieces of cantaloupe, honeydew and/or another melon (about ½ small melon)
5 oz Arugula
~15 basil leaves
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
2 Tbps Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 oz small mozzarella balls, halved and at room temperature (or use fresh mozzarella torn into bite-size pieces)
8 slices prosciutto (3 oz), cut in half

Instructions

Finely grate the zest of the lemon half over the melon pieces.
Place the arugula and basil in a large bowl or on a large platter. Season with salt and pepper, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil. Squeeze the lemon over. Toss gently with your hands until coated. Place the melon, mozzarella and prosciutto on top. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Taste. If the salad is too sharp, add another drop of oil. If the salad is dull, add a sprinkle of salt. Serve right away.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 00:40:58 -0400

Ingredients

1 Shallot
1/2 Cup White Wine
3 Tbsp Butter
1 Bay Leaf
2 Quarts Heavy Cream
2.5 Lbs Gorgonzola Cheese Crumble

Instructions

Brunoise, or very finely dice, the shallot.
Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and then add the shallot and bay leaf.
Sweat the shallots till softened and fragrant. 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the white wine and reduce by half. Can turn up to high heat if you are watching closely.
Add the heavy cream and warm till it’s about to boil. If on high heat stir constantly.
Whish in the cheese still combined. Can leave it chunky if preferred.
Transfer to serving dish or 1/6th pan.

Notes

You shouldn’t be getting any color on the shallot when cooking it, add the wine right away if they start to caramelize, the sauce should be completely white before you add the cheese.
Depending on cheese used, sauce may turn slightly blue.
This sauce was very popular at the steakhouse I worked at, enjoyed on all types of steaks but especially filet.

Italian Meatballs

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 22:12:03 -0400

Ingredients

1 Lb Beef, Pork and Veal Mix
3 Tbsp Italian Breadcrumbs
1/4 Cup Milk
1 Large Egg (Beaten)
2 Cloves garlic (Crushed)
2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 Tsp Dried Italian Herb Seasoning
2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan
Fresh Basil Leaves (chiffonaded, optional)

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly
Form mixture into balls, size based on personal preference
Add a small amount of olive oil to a pan and cook the balls over medium heat till browned on the outside (10 minutes for me with 2" Dia meatballs)
Add meatballs to pasta sauce and simmer till pasta is done. At least 10 Minutes

Notes

Recipe loosely based off one here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/220854/chef-johns-italian-meatballs/