Sausage and Leek Orecchiette

Sausage and Leek Pasta from www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

4.93 from 40 votes

This comforting Sausage and Leek Orecchiette will be your go-to pasta dish on any cold evening! Bonus, the leftovers are equally, if not more, delicious as the flavors have more time to develop and blend together. Enjoy!

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

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

This recipe makes for extra delish leftovers! 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!

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