Sausage crumbles are perfect in this sausage pasta recipe because they add a different texture to the recipe. But, if you're looking for something to do with sausage links, you can use them in this recipe too. Slice the sausage links into 1/4 inch slices and then cut those slices down the center. You can leave them whole, rather than cutting them in half, but they'll just be a little big and will be a huge mouthful when you're trying to get a bite of sausage, rigatoni, and all the vegetables at once. So cut your sausage, then cook it in a pan with the onion and garlic. The sausage links will take longer to cook through that ground sausage, so just adjust your cooking time accordingly. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.