Friday, April 30, 2010

Orecchiette with Sausage, Asparagus and Spinach

I made a great pasta dish on Wednesday night that I wanted to share.  It is not a dish that calls for a heavy sauce, so if you don't enjoy pasta without the alfredo or marinara poured on thick, then this probably isn't going to be for you.

1 pound orecchiette
4 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 pound), casing removed and crumbled
Small bunch of asparagus, trimmed into 1 inch pieces
1 pound spinach, washed, trimmed, and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup organic chicken broth
1 teaspoon organic butter
Garlic to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

















Place sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown for about 8-10 minutes, transfer to a bowl.

















Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente, 8-10 minutes; drain, reserving about ½ cup of the cooking water.

















In the same skillet that you cooked the sausage in (don’t wash it out) add the olive oil and garlic and once hot, sauté the asparagus until almost tender, then add the spinach and continue sautéing until wilted.

















Add sausage mixture to sautéed spinach and asparagus and mix together.

Add the orecchiette to the mixture. Stir to combine, adding chicken broth plus the cooking liquid if pasta seems too dry; add the teaspoon of butter, sprinkle with cheese, salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.

















Bon Appetit!

3 comments:

  1. This looks delicious. I'm not eating meat right now, but I could totally do this with just the veggies and maybe some pine nuts for a little protein. Orecchiette is my favorite pasta. If you ever get a chance for a fancy date night with your hubby, The Oar House in Rockwall has a chicken broccoli orecchiette dish that is out of this world. But then again, why pay 4 times as much for something you can make and enjoy at home?

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  2. Whoa~ looks like I've got some heavy competition! ;) Sounds and looks delicious...I am a huge fan of sweet Italian sausage. Want to guest blog on The Happiest Belly?

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  3. Where did you find those pretty plates?!

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