Description
This creamy tomato sausage pasta features orecchiette, whose unique cup shape perfectly holds the decadent sauce. Featuring Italian chicken sausage, garlic, kale, and a rich blend of tomato passata, cream, and parmesan, this hearty Italian-esque main dish delivers comforting flavors balanced with fresh greens. Ready in just 25 minutes, it’s perfect for a satisfying weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
Pasta
- 400g / 14oz orecchiette pasta (or other pasta)
Sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 500g / 1lb Italian chicken sausages, meat squeezed out of casings
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 cup tomato passata
- 3/4 cup heavy cream (thickened cream)
- 3/4 cup milk (any fat percentage)
- 1/3 cup parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tsp Italian herbs
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups packed kale leaves, torn into bite-size pieces (or baby spinach, Swiss chard, Tuscan kale)
To Serve
- Parmesan, freshly grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orecchiette pasta according to package instructions minus 1 minute for al dente texture. Before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Sauté Garlic and Sausage: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a very large skillet over high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 15 seconds until aromatic. Add the chicken sausage meat, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until browned with golden bits, about 4 minutes.
- Deglaze the Pan: Pour in 1/4 cup water to the skillet and cook, scraping the bottom to release the flavorful browned bits. Allow the water to evaporate completely, enhancing the sauce’s depth.
- Add Sauce Ingredients and Simmer: Stir in the tomato passata, heavy cream, milk, parmesan, Italian herbs, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes to blend and marry all the flavors.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce and Greens: Add the cooked pasta and kale leaves to the skillet. Toss everything together thoroughly for 1 minute so the kale wilts slightly and the sauce thickens, coating the pasta well. If the sauce becomes too thick, use some of the reserved pasta water to loosen it to desired consistency.
- Serve: Plate the pasta immediately, garnished generously with freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- For a slightly lighter dish, use milk with lower fat content instead of cream or reduce cream and increase milk ratio.
- Substitute kale with baby spinach, Swiss chard, or Tuscan kale for different leafy green flavors.
- Reserve some pasta cooking water to adjust sauce thickness as needed; it helps the sauce cling to the pasta better.
- Italian chicken sausages add great flavor but you can swap for pork sausage or even vegetarian sausage for different dietary needs.
- Adjust red pepper flakes to taste for more or less heat in the dish.
- This pasta is best served fresh but leftovers can be reheated gently on the stovetop with a splash of milk or water to loosen the sauce.
