In this article, let’s make the spicy orecchiette recipe for your dinner – the spicy orecchiette with chicken sausage and kale. This recipe will change your dinner game. Keep reading this article of Apronese to see how to make it.
What Sausage is The Best?
For this spicy orecchiette recipe, you can use any flavor chicken sausage, regular pork Italian sausage, or even a vegetarian sausage.
If you want your dish extra spicy, choose a sausage that contains red pepper.
Can I Make This Non-Spicy?
Yes, absolutely. This recipe is definitely delicious enough to hold its own without any heat. It’s just that I love spicy food, so I make this recipe.
To make this recipe not spicy, make sure your sausage does not contain red pepper, skip the red pepper flakes in the recipe, and reduce the amount of freshly cracked black pepper.
Can I Use a Different Pasta Shape?
Yes, you definitely can. Orecchiette can sometimes be hard to find and is a bit more expensive than some other pasta shapes, so just swap it out with whatever you have available.
The second choice would be thin spaghetti, whole wheat spaghetti, or even wide egg noodles. Penne is also an easy and convenient choice. So just give it a try!
What Can I Use in Place of Kale?
Fresh spinach is great, as are other green vegetables like broccoli florets or asparagus. Throwing a few grape tomatoes in there is also a great idea.
Can I Make it Vegetarian?
This spicy orecchiette with chicken sausage and kale is pretty easy to make vegetarian. You can use a vegetarian sausage that is very similar to chicken sausage.
For the parmesan, you can either use some nutritional yeast flakes straight, or whip up a batch of vegan parmesan.
Spicy Orecchiette Recipe
Spicy orecchiette with chicken sausage and kale is a fast and easy dinner that will always satisfy.
Author: Beth
Prep Time: 5 mins / Cook Time: 15 mins / Total Time: 20 mins
Servings: 4 (about 1.5 cups each)
Ingredients
- 8 oz. orecchiette ($1.33)
- 2 tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 12 oz. chicken sausage ($2.99)
- 2 tbsp butter ($0.27)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 8 oz. chopped kale* ($2.14)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan ($0.44)
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper ($0.02)
- 1 pinch salt ($0.02)
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste ($0.05)
Instructions
- Cook the orecchiette according to the package directions. Before draining the orecchiette in a colander, reserve about 1/3 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- While the orecchiette is cooking, begin preparing the rest of the recipe. Slice the chicken sausage into medallions.
- Add the olive oil and chicken sausage to a large pot and sauté over medium until the chicken sausage begins to brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add the minced garlic and butter to the pot with the sausage and continue to sauté for one more minute.
- Next, add the chopped kale and reserved pasta water. Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to cook and stir until the kale has wilted (about 2-3 minutes). Use your spoon to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you stir.
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cooked and drained orecchiette. If the pasta and kale are still steaming heavily, let the contents of the pot cool for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to release steam. You want the Parmesan to coat the pasta, but not melt.
- Once the pasta and kale is hot, but not steaming, add the grated parmesan, crushed red pepper, salt, and about 15-20 cranks of a pepper mill. Stir to combine, then taste and add more salt if needed. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1.5 Cups ・ Calories: 468.75 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 48.15 g ・ Protein: 24.1 g ・ Fat: 23.08 g ・ Sodium: 850.65 mg ・ Fiber: 3.48 g
The nutritional values shown here are only estimates. Please see our nutrition disclaimer.
If you’re looking for more recipes with a quick dinner formula, check out Bacon and Spinach Pasta with Parmesan, Bowties and Broccoli, One Pot Sausage and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta, or Simple Portobella Pasta.
How to Make Orecchiette with Sausage – Step-by-Step Photos
Step 1: First, cook 8 oz. orecchiette according to the package directions.
Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1/3 cup of the starchy pasta water.
Step 2: Slice 12 oz. chicken sausage into medallions. Add the chicken sausage to a large pot along with 2 tbsp olive oil.
Sauté the sausage over medium until it begins to brown (about 5 min), then add 2 minced cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp butter.
Continue to sauté for one minute more.
Step 3: Add 8 oz, chopped kale to the pot along with the reserved pasta water.
Step 4: Turn the heat down to medium-low and continue to stir and cook until the kale has wilted. Use your spoon to dissolve any browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you stir.
Step 5: Remove the pot from the heat and stir the cooked and drained orecchiette into the kale and sausage.
If the pasta and kale are still steaming hot, let it cool for about five minutes because you don’t want the parmesan to melt when added, you just want it to stick to the pasta.
Once it has cooled a bit, add 1/4 cup grated parmesan, 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, a pinch of salt, and some freshly cracked pepper (about 15-20 cranks of a pepper mill).
Step 6: Stir until everything is combined and coated in parmesan, then taste and add another pinch of salt if needed.
Step 7: Serve warm and enjoy.
With just some quick and easy step, you’ll have an amazing dish for your dinner. This recipe is flexible, so you can use other ingredients in place of kale, orecchiette, or even chicken sausage as mentioned before.
