Spicy Italian-Influenced Orecchiette with Buttery Sausage Cooking Directions
Slay This Quick Orecchiette Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage and Buttery Sauce
Got a hankering for some comfort food? Check out this scrumptious orecchiette pasta dish with spicy Italian sausage and a rich, velvety butter sauce. It's a mouthwatering creation courtesy of LA's culinary badasses, Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo. Ready to get your starch on? Let's cook! 🔥
Curious about pasta types? Head over to our Dirty Little Guide on Pasta! 🍝
- Yield: 2 servings
- Difficulty: Easy peasy
- Total: 25 to 35 minutes
Ingredients 🛒
- 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter
- 8 oz Italian spicy sausage, ain't no casings holdin' this bad boy back 🔪
- Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh sage, thinly sliced like a grasshopper's legs 🦗
- 8 oz orecchiette pasta, these little cups will hold all the flavors captive 🏙️
- Kosher salt for the pasta water, because salty dudes make the best sauces 🤯
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino cheese, for an extra tangy kick 😈
- Freshly ground black pepper, to season your culinary quest ⛺️
Let's tango 💃♀️🕺️
- Fire up that kettle and pour yourself a stiff drink 😉. Boil a large pot of water over high heat.
- Grab a medium-sized sauté pan with tall sides and set it over medium-high heat. Drop half of the butter in and let it melt and foam up, reachin' for that golden brown stage 🔥. When it's there, throw in the sausage and cook it up, breakin' it apart with a wooden spoon as it browns, about 4 to 5 glorious minutes. Ain't that a sight for sore eyes? 👀 Add the sage, stirring it in, and then take the pan off the heat and move on to the next step.
- Add the orecchiette and a generous pinch of salt to the boiling water. Cook that pasta until it's al dente, ain't no soft stuff allowed here. Stir it frequently while it cooks, about 8 minutes, depending on the brand of pasta. Use at least one ladle to reserve 1 cup of the pasta cookin' water, then drain the orecchiette.
- Set the pan with the sausage back onto the heat, medium temp this time. Add the orecchiette to it, scrapin' up any browned bits with a spoon. Start adding the reserved pasta water 1 tablespoon at a time, stirrin' until a creamy sauce starts to form. Yum!
- Got 1 tablespoon of that pecorino cheese left? Reserve it for later. Add the rest of the cheese, the remaining butter, and stir it all up. Keep pumpin' in the reserved pasta water as needed until that sauce emulsifies into a creamy, dreamy concoction that clings to every noodle like a cat to velcro 🐱💻. Season it with black pepper and taste it. If it ain't salty enough, add more salt.
- Divide the pasta evenly between two warmed plates. Sprinkle the reserved pecorino cheese over the top and serve it up with a proud smile 🌟. That's it, baby! You've conquered another meal like a true kitchen warrior. Cheers! 🍻
- To learn more about various pasta types, visit our 'Dirty Little Guide on Pasta'.
- This quick orecchiette pasta recipe with spicy Italian sausage and buttery sauce yields 2 servings.
- The dish, a creation of LA's culinary badasses Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo, is considered easy to prepare, with a total time of 25 to 35 minutes.
- The orecchiette pasta in this recipe will hold the flavors captive and make tiny cups for the creamy sauce.
