Sausage, Basil & Mustard Orecchiette

Sausage, Basil & Mustard Orecchiette

Orecchi--what? Orecchiette pasta - "orecchio" (ear) and "etto" (small), is an ear-shaped pasta from the southeast region of Italy known as Puglia. I will admit, I stumbled over the pronunciation the first couple of times, so listening to it here will have you sounding like a pro. This isn't a super common pasta so you might have to go to your local Whole Foods or Fresh Market for this one.

I love that these oval beauties hold just the right amount of sauce and have more of a country Italian look than your standard penne. The best part? This pasta is super-easy to make and takes no time at all!

Ingredients (Serves 4):

  • 1 lb Orecchiette pasta (You may substitute with shells or penne)
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 6-8 mild or hot Italian sausage links (I used mild), removed from casings and crumbled
  • 3/4 cup white wine (I used a dry chardonnay)
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
  • Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup of thinly sliced basil
  • Basil leaves and parmesan for garnish

Directions:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add pasta. Follow package directions.
  2. Meanwhile heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet.
  3. Add sausage and brown on med-high heat, 5-7 minutes.
  4. Add wine and simmer for 5 minutes, until reduced by half.
  5. Add cream, mustard and red pepper stirring to combine, simmer for 2 minutes.
  6. Remove skillet from heat, add pasta and basil, coat to combine.
  7. Garnish with basil leaves and parmesan, serve immediately.

Photo by Jonathan Stiers Β©2015 | Recipe adapted from Food & Wine

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