Orecchiette with Sausage and Spinach
This simple orecchiette with sausage and spinach recipe has a tasty Italian sausage, spinach, garlic, and white wine sauce. It’s on the table in about 30 minutes and pleases kids both young and old!
This orecchiette pasta is an easy recipe that feels fancy but takes only half an hour to make. It’s actually kind of amazing just how much rich taste is packed into this pasta since it has very few ingredients!
Did you know that orecchiette literally translates to “little ears”? I don’t cook with it very often, but it’s definitely a fun pasta shape to keep in your pantry. I think you’ll love this orecchiette pasta recipe since it’s the ideal pasta shape to hold the tasty white wine sauce.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
- 16 ounces Italian sausage
- 1/2 medium onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil (optional)
- Salt & pepper
- Grated parmesan cheese
Directions
- Boil a large salted pot of water and cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, add the sausage meat and onion to a skillet, and sauté over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until it’s cooked through and nicely browned. If there’s more than about 1-2 tablespoons of fat left in the skillet, spoon out the excess, but be sure to leave some since we’re not adding any extra butter or oil.
- Reduce the heat to medium, stir in the garlic and Dijon mustard, and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add in the spinach and basil (if using). Toss, using tongs or two large spoons, until the spinach has wilted, then add in the drained pasta and toss again.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese over top if desired.
NOTE:
Use either ground sausage meat or buy sausages and take the meat out of the casings. There is quite a lot of sausage in the sauce, so you could definitely get away with using a bit less than the full pound.
