1. Cook the sausage in a sauté pan until browned and set aside.
2. For each pound of pasta, prepare a 5-to-6-quart pot of water, add 3 tablespoons of sea salt, place on stove over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is at a full boil, add pasta noodles to boiling water and cook noodles until al dente (firm but not undercooked). Empty pasta into a strainer and drain well.
3. While pasta is cooking, warm up the vodka sauce in a saucepan over medium heat until sauce is just slightly bubbling. Chop basil and set aside.
4. Once sauce is bubbling, add the peas, salt, pepper, cooked sausage, a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to your liking. Add the drained rigatoni to the sauce and add butter if using. Toss pasta in the sauce to coat noodles and plate immediately. Top plated pasta with grated parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped basil.

Enjoy!