Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale

4.67 from 3 votes

Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Kale

Four ingredients are all you need to prepare this satisfying weeknight meal. This blend of pasta, meat, and vegetable can be customized to your taste or based on what's in your pantry.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 774kcal

Author: Abbey McDermott

Equipment

dutch oven

Ingredients

12 ounces orecchiette pasta
16 ounces hot Italian bulk sausage or sweet Italian sausage
4 stalks kale stems removed and leaves chopped
⅔ cup Parmesan cheese finely grated, approx. 2 ounces
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

Cook the pasta in well-salted water according to package directions, until al dente. Reserve 1-1½ cups of the pasta water before draining.
Meanwhile, cook and crumble the sausage. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate, leaving 1-2 teaspoons of fat in the pan. Add the chopped kale to the pan along with ¼ cup of pasta water. Saute until wilted, approx. 4-5 minutes.
Add the sausage back to the pan along with the pasta. Add the parmesan cheese and the reserved pasta water, starting with ½ cup, stirring to create the sauce. Add additional pasta water as necessary.
Season to taste with salt and pepper (if needed). Add crushed red pepper flakes for extra heat if desired. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Notes

I use uncooked bulk sausage in this recipe. If using uncooked link sausage, remove the casings before cooking. Pre-cooked sausage links can also be used. Slice the links into ½-inch pieces and cook until lightly browned on both sides.
Cook the pasta in well-salted water. It's important to flavor the pasta itself. Do so by adding about two teaspoons of kosher salt to the pasta water.
Reserve pasta water for the sauce. The pasta water is the base of the sauce. The starch in the pasta water combined with finely grated Parmesan cheese creates the perfect sauce for this pasta.

Nutrition