Orecchiette With Fennel and Sausage
Published March 4, 2020
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1pound sweet Italian sausage with fennel
- 1teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1large fennel bulb, trimmed, cored and chopped (about 2 cups), fronds reserved
- 1medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 1tablespoon minced garlic
- Salt
- 12ounces orecchiette
- ¼cup mascarpone
- Ground black pepper
- 3tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 1ounce pecorino, grated
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
661 calories; 25 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 76 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 830 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat oil in a 3-quart sauté pan on medium-low. Add the sausages and cook, turning frequently, until browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove sausages to a cutting board. Add fennel seeds to the pan, cook until fragrant, then add fresh fennel, onion and garlic. Sauté until translucent and just starting to color, 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt. Turn off heat.
- Step 2
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 13 to 15 minutes. As the pasta cooks, quarter the sausages lengthwise, then slice ½-inch thick. Add sausage to the sauté pan and heat on medium-low. Stir in mascarpone and season generously with pepper. Add ½ cup pasta water. Stir and continue heating gently. Mince 2 tablespoons of reserved fennel fronds.
- Step 3
When the pasta is done, reserve another ½ cup pasta water. Drain pasta — you don’t have to be utterly thorough about it — and add it to the sauté pan along with enough additional pasta water for a mixture that’s quite moist but not soupy. Check seasoning, fold in parsley and fennel fronds, and transfer to a serving dish, individual plates or bowls. Serve with pecorino alongside.
Private Notes
Comments
I added a squeeze of lemon right at the end and it really brightened it up. I was skeptical that the fennel fronds were necessary but they were also a really nice addition.
I am now staying at home because of COVID-19 and did not have mascarpone cheese and was certainly not going out just to get it. You can use cream cheese instead (didn't have that either) but sour cream, especially with a tablespoon of cream (I bet yogurt would do in a pinch) was what I used. This was extremely tasty and comforting!
Really, really good. Used more sausage and mascarpone and a fewer noodles. Delicious.
Subbed boursine for the marscapone, turned out great!
love love this combo— I always like to take the sausage out of the casings and break it up into bits in the pan, I feel you get more flavor throughout the e while dish that way. I always make pasta dishes in a dutch oven so that I can really mix it up and aerate it making a glossy sauce, since i’m way too messy to flip the pan like chefs do haha. I also never add mascarpone but that’s just personal preference!
Make sure to cook and drain orecchiette just as final assembly takes place so it doesn’t spoon and stick together. Roasted garlic in pan with 3 anchovy fillets and seasoned with salt, pepper, nutmeg and red pepper flakes. So many thanks.