During harvest, the farmers are so busy working that sometimes they lose weight because they don’t have time to eat and they’re always moving. So, for most harvest celebrations, Molly makes super filling dishes like casseroles and huge cuts of meat to fill them back up, and this is one of those super rich and hearty dishes. It’s creamy, cheesy, meaty, one of Molly’s top 15 bites of all time.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided, plus more for the pasta water
- 3 tablespoons (38 grams) extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling, if needed
- 2 pounds (908 grams) hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 cups (10 ounces/283 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes
- One 10-ounce (283-gram) bunch spinach, stems trimmed, or baby spinach
- 3 tablespoons (42 grams) unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 5 tablespoons (24 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (480 grams) heavy cream
- 2 cups (480 grams) whole milk
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pound (454 grams) large rigatoni or paccheri
- 1 cup (240 grams) grated Pecorino Romano, divided
- 1 cup (240 grams) whole milk ricotta
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place an oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large, shallow braiser over medium heat. Add the sausage. Using a wooden spoon, break up the sausage into bite-sized pieces and cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the cherry tomatoes into the braiser and cook, stirring occasionally, until they just start to lose their shape, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir and cook until the tomatoes begin to burst and the spinach is wilted but still bright green, about 3 minutes more. Remove the tomatoes and spinach to the bowl with the sausage.
- To make the sauce: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and the butter into the now empty braiser. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook until sizzling, about 30 seconds. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to make a paste. Cook for 1 minute and then whisk in the cream and milk. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the oregano and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. Simmer until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to the boiling water and undercook by 2 to 3 minutes short of the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
- Stir 1/2 cup of the Pecorino Romano into the sauce and add the pasta. Add the sausage, tomatoes and spinach. Toss to evenly coat everything in the sauce, adding a little of the pasta water if it seems dry. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup Pecorino Romano and dollop the ricotta in spoonfuls all around the top. Finish with a final drizzle of olive oil.
- Bake until browned and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before serving. Season with crushed red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
- The pasta is best eaten as soon as it’s made but will keep covered for 2 days in the refrigerator.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 1402 |
| Total Fat | 97 g |
| Saturated Fat | 47 g |
| Carbohydrates | 80 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Protein | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 279 mg |
| Sodium | 1569 mg |
Reviews
Yes I made this pasta!! Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make again.
Delicious and easy to make! This is a keeper!
This recipe is fantastic! I made it for my book club and everyone wanted the recipe. Followed directions exactly. Buy the best pasta you can, it makes a difference.
I tell my husband I’m going to make the “Molly” pasta for dinner… I actually crave it and can’t make it enough! I now make a half batch and it makes 4+ servings, leftovers taste even better the next day. This recipe is absolutely fantastic!
After seeing this on Sunday’s show I HAD to make it! Absolutely spectacular!!
Semsko, yes you can absolutely use chicken (or chicken sausage which would be great too). Just make sure if you’re using cubed chicken that you season it WELL before you brown it in the pan. The sausage has a lot of herbs/spices already in it so you just need to add some extra spices to the plain chicken if you’re substituting for the sausage.
This is really good! It’s pretty rich so there will be plenty of leftovers!! Think I’ll add more spinach and some sautéed mushrooms next time. Maybe use half and half instead of the heavy cream to tame the richness a bit. But definitely worth the time to make it!
Delicious! I served this from the stovetop and skipped the addition of ricotta and extra baking step. I also just used mild Italian sausage instead of hot and it was still very flavorful. Hopefully I will try the ricotta next time. The flavors are amazing, very much a comfort meal!
Do you think this can be made with chicken instead of sausage?
Deemed a Do-Over at my house!
I don’t have a braiser (yet!)
So, after adding the pasta to the sauce, I poured everything into the bowl with the sausage and vegetables to mix. Then, I poured everything into a casserole and followed with the ricotta and the rest of the recipe.
I don’t have a braiser (yet!)
So, after adding the pasta to the sauce, I poured everything into the bowl with the sausage and vegetables to mix. Then, I poured everything into a casserole and followed with the ricotta and the rest of the recipe.
Just made this tonight for dinner as written. Although I cannot taste much due to chemo treatments, hubby assures me this is very good. So much so that he did ask me to make it again; but the next time, he would like me to, instead of combining everything together, to stuff the paccheri with everything including the ricotta, then pour the sauce over top and bake just to see how that would be. Easy enough to do.