Description
This Sausage & Greens Orecchiette is an easy, hearty and nutritious bowl of comfort. Savory Italian sausage is the base flavor here. Tender pasta, aromatics, and baby spinach are added in along with a healthy dose of parmesan cheese. The resulting pasta is lightly creamy with tons of flavor and feels nourishing for both the body and soul. Cozy comfort without a ton of guilt.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb orecchiette pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb Italian sausage (use what you like: sweet or spicy, chicken or pork), removed from casings
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 12 oz baby spinach (or any green you prefer)
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Red pepper flakes, as optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Season liberally with salt and then add the pasta.
- Cook, according to the package directions, until just shy of el dente (usually 2 minutes less than recommended cooking time).
- Drain pasta while reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil.
- Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Add in the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the sausage is crumbled and almost cooked through.
- Add in the garlic and dried herbs and cook for a minute. Add in the tomato paste and cook for another minute.
- Add in the spinach, cooked pasta, and a little bit of the reserved pasta cooking water. Add a little salt and pepper at this point as well.
- Stirring almost constantly, mix everything together until the sauce in the pan begins to thicken and the spinach is wilted.
- Stir in the cheese, butter, and another splash of cooking water and stir to combine everything until the sauce is evenly coating the pasta. Keep adding more pasta water, as needed, to create a saucy consistency. Season, to taste, with additional salt and pepper.
- Serve hot and garnished with additional cheese. Sprinkle on red pepper flakes for a kick of heat – I love to do this when using sweet over spicy sausage.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: pasta