| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces bulk sweet Italian sausage
- 1 bunch scallions, chopped (white and green parts separated)
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 14-ounce can cherry tomatoes
- 12 ounces orecchiette
- 8 cups baby spinach (about 4 ounces), roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the scallion whites and rosemary and cook until the scallions begin to wilt, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juices and 1⁄2 cup of the boiling water. Let simmer while you cook the pasta.
- Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain.
- Add the pasta to the tomato sauce along with the spinach and half of the scallion greens. Toss to coat the pasta and wilt the spinach, about 1 minute, gradually adding the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen. Season with salt, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and remove from the heat.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the pasta and toss well. Divide among plates or shallow bowls and top with the remaining scallion greens.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 570 |
| Total Fat | 18 grams |
| Saturated Fat | 5 grams |
| Cholesterol | 26 milligrams |
| Sodium | 715 milligrams |
| Carbohydrates | 75 grams |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 grams |
| Protein | 25 grams |
| Sugar | 6 grams |
Reviews
We really liked this as a quick weeknight dinner. I used 1/2 pound of sausage and froze the other half for another recipe. Because I used the ends of boxes of orecchiette and ditalini, I had about 14 ounces of pasta, so I added a bit more pasta water and about 1 Tbs. of tomato paste. We sprinkled the finished pasta with leftover shredded Pecorino Romano before serving.
I apologize but this lacked flavor in so many ways! Why would you add boiling water to a dish that you just spend time building up a fond. You needed to deglaze with white wine or chicken broth, I made so many changes it’s really not worth stating as its a different recipe. Very disappointing!
My husband and I made this tonight. We used the Italian hot sausage since the sweet wasn’t available. It was the perfect amount of spice and not too hot. We will definitely make this again.
I really liked this dish. I did use the canned cherry tomatoes (which are to die for if you can get them at a specialty market), but I wanted to punch up the flavor of the tomato soI also added some tomato paste and a 1/2 cup of white wine, and fresh basil. It made a stellar sauce. Everyone was licking their bowls.
Made this for dinner tonight. Like the others, I doubled the sausage and added 8oz can of tomato sauce. For me, but for the sausage, it was blah…. I won’t make it again.
this was really delicious and easy to make. The orecchiette pasta is perfect for this since it holds the sauce perfectly.
This is delicious … looking forward to devouring the leftovers! I made this following the recommendations of a previous reviewer, George Sisson, to use cherry tomatoes, plus a little marinara (I used ~4 TBSP) and to double the sausage. I used 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage and 1/2 lb Italian style Turkey sausage (to make it a little healthier) and 4 cups orecchiette. This combination easily makes 6 servings. Thank you, Food Network, for sharing this great dish!
This is deli
Loved the flavors and textures, as the spinach and tomatoes blended well with the sausage and pasta.
The dish is a little pricey if you make it the way I did: follow the directions but double the sausage, use fresh cherry tomatoes, and add a bit of marinara for liquid.
Be sure to use a big skillet if you use the recommended amount of spinach, by the way.
Also, I used medium shells because not a box in the store was marked oreccheitte.
I made this tonight for myself and my boyfriend. I enjoyed it because it was easy enough to make after work but was still “fancy”.
I did have to make some substitutions. First, I did 12oz of diced canned tomatoes and half a small can of tomato paste because I couldn’t find canned grape tomatoes. Then I substituted medium shell pasta since I couldn’t find the one it called for. Finally, I used 1/4t of dried rosemary plus another shake after tasting it in lieu of fresh rosemary.
We sprinkled additional cheese on top at the table! (Who doesn’t love cheese?)
This is definitely a keeper on the dinner rotation. We both got up for seconds!
We did say that it could use a little more sausage. Next time I make it, I’ll use the entire 1lb box of pasta and the full pound of sausage then adjust the liquid as necessary.