This recipe is actually very easy. It just takes some time to simmer. I’ve listed an alternate method if you don’t have 45 minutes to an hour to wait for the sauce to simmer (which I may fall back on someday when I’m in need of a quick dinner). This would also be delicious with grilled chicken or you could probably even replace the chicken with ground beef or Italian sausage. I’ve listed the red pepper flakes as 1 – 3 tsp to taste, so just adjust to your desired heat preference. You can even omit them if you’d prefer (and just make it a creamy marinara and chicken rigatoni). If you’re like me that would be 3 tablespoons but I like a lot of heat, and I resisted adding that much so I could still taste the delicious flavors of the sauce. Sometimes too much heat can hide all the delicious flavors underneath. Serve this tonight for dinner and everyone will be more than satisfied with such a simple, creamy and flavorful dish – with just the right amount of spice of course (side note – if you are making it for the kids too, I’d dish theirs up first before adding red pepper flakes. I try to sneak a faint amount in my kids to get them used to a little spice and they always notice :). Enjoy!
