Italian Sausage, Broccolini & Fennel Orecchiette
This spicy Italian sausage orecchiette has to be the easiest weeknight pasta I make that includes meat. No chopping of onions required which is always a plus. Like all my favourite lazy pasta staples, this comes together in the time it takes to boil the pasta.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 450g Italian pork and fennel sausages, sliced to remove the meat and meat pulled apart into 3cm pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 125ml dry white wine (½ cup)
- 200ml chicken stock
- 400g orecchiette, rigatoni, casarecce, or large spirals
- 1 bunch broccolini, sliced in 2.5cm pieces
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
- 50g Parmesan, finely grated (plus more to serve)
Method
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
- Fry sausage pieces until golden brown (around 5 mins).
- Cook in garlic, chilli and fennel seeds until fragrant, then add white wine and reduce by two thirds.
- Add chicken stock and simmer until reduced by two thirds and the sauce is more glazey than watery. Turn off the heat until you’re ready to add pasta and broccolini from the next step.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. In the last two minutes of cooking, add broccolini. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Strain pasta and broccolini, add to the sauce and stir to combine.
- Toss through parsley, oregano or marjoram and Parmesan.
- Taste and season.
- If the sauce is too thick, loosen it up with some reserved pasta water.
- Serve with more Parmesan.