Are you looking for an easy weeknight meal your whole family will love? Look no further than this delicious sausage and leek pasta – full of fresh flavors, nutritious ingredients, and ready in just 30 minutes. This comforting dish is the perfect balance between hearty comfort food and light summer fare, making it a great option to serve any time of year. With just a few simple ingredients like sausage, leeks, garlic, butter and seasonings, you can create a scrumptious dinner that is sure to be one of your new favorites! Throw together a quick butter lettuce salad and you have a complete meal.
I've been living off this Sausage and Leek Orecchiette recently and I can't get enough!
Table of Contents
Why I Love This Recipe
It's loaded with kale, tons of leeks which are literally my currently favorite vegetable, a bit of savory sausage, cheese, red pepper flakes, and more! I used my favorite little Orecchiette pasta because they look like little ears, but feel free to use whatever kind of pasta you prefer!
Orecchiette, or “little ears” in Italian, is a type of pasta that is well known for its small ear-like shape. This particular dish combines the classic flavors of sausage and leek to create a delicious comfort meal that is perfect for any time of year. If you are looking for a new recipe to try the next time you are craving something comforting and filling, look no further than this Sausage and Leek Orecchiette.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Sweet Italian Chicken Sausage
- Leeks
- Dinosaur Kale
- White Wine
- Butter
- Kosher Salt
- Black Pepper freshly cracked
- Orecchiette Pasta
- Parmesan finely shredded
- Asiago finely shredded
- Reserved Pasta Water
*For a full list of ingredients and instructions please see recipe card below.
How to Make Sausage and Leek Orecchiette
Step 1: In a large skillet, sauté the sausages over medium-high, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add chopped leeks (and kale if you're using) to sausage in skillet and cook until softened, about 5 more minutes.
Step 3: Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water.
Step 4: Add wine and cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan, until mostly evaporated.
Step 5: Stir in butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 6: Drain pasta, return to pot, add sausage mixture, and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed to thicken sauce.
Step 7: Toss in the shredded Parmesan and Asiago.
Step 8: Adjust salt and pepper as needed and serve.
How to Store Sausage and Leek Orecchiette
You can store this in an airtight container for about 3-4 days. My favorite way to re-heat this recipe is to add a little olive oil into a pan and add the leftover pasta and heat over low heat. That way nothing dries out in the microwave!
Tips and Tricks to cooking pasta
- Drain the pasta and add your sauce of choice.
- Start with good quality pasta.
- Make sure your water is boiling before adding the pasta.
- Don't forget to add salt to the water.
- Cook the pasta until it is al dente.
FAQs
Can I add pork sausage?
You sure can!
What is the best way to clean leeks?
Half them lengthwise and rinse them well. If they are especially muddy, feel free to give them a quick soak and rinse in a bowl once you slice them up.
Similar Recipes
If you tried this recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting today
Sausage and Leek Orecchiette
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian chicken sausage casings removed
- 4 leeks white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, rinsed and sliced into ¼ inch pieces
- 1 bunch dinosaur kale, finely shredded (optional)
- ⅔ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 pound orecchiette pasta
- 1 cup Parmesan finely shredded
- 1 cup Asiago finely shredded
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- In a large skillet, sauté the sausages over medium-high, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add chopped leeks (and kale if you're using) to sausage in skillet and cook until softened, about 5 more minutes.
- Add wine and cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan, until mostly evaporated. Stir in butter and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve ½ cup pasta water.
- Drain pasta, return to pot, add sausage mixture, and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed to thicken sauce. Toss in the shredded Parmesan and Asiago. Adjust salt and pepper as needed and serve.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson
Whole fam loved this! After my 13 yr old tried & raved about it, he said, “let me guess....Gaby?!”
What can you substitute for leeks? Green onions?
I would just do regular yellow onions!
Delicious! Even my SUPER picky 9 year old had 2 helpings. Can't wait to make it again!
Oh mg word! This came out delicious. So happy I happen to have these ingredients on hand. Would’ve never thought to pair up leeks w kale.
Made this tonight and it was a hit! I doubled the sausage so it was a little more substantial for two hungry boys. I put it a LOT of kale and it probably could have used more. A great, quick, all-in-one-dish meal.
Love love love. So good!
I made this last night and my family absolutely loved it just had the leftovers for lunch and it was even better!!!!
This was delicious!! Will definitely make again. Something I could see myself making while entertaining. It was my first time buying and cutting leeks. Adventure in itself
Could I substitute spinach for the kale?
Spinach works GREAT.
Whoa, this was sooo good!! Such simple ingredients but sooo much flavor! Another winner Gabi!
SO happy to hear it!
I am not a white wine drinker only red. What type of white wine should I use?
How many does this recipe serve?
4-6
This was my first time making one of your recipes and OMG this was so delicious and easy! Definitely will add to the list of regulars. YUMMMMMM!
One of my favorite recipes ever! I have always used broccolini, cannot wait to try this with leeks and kale~ thank you for sharing this fabulous recipe~
This is perfect! I just dug up a bunch of leeks and cut a big bunch of kale, so this is on the menu for tonight!!