3-Ingredient Orecchiette with Sausage and Fennel | view more Recipe

3-Ingredient Orecchiette with Sausage and Fennel

  • '12 ounces orecchiette or other short pasta'
  • 'Kosher salt'
  • '1 tablespoon olive oil'
  • '12 ounces sweet Italian sausage
  • casings removed'
  • '1 fennel bulb (about 12 ounces)
  • cored
  • thinly sliced
  • fronds chopped and reserved'
  • 'Freshly ground black pepper'

  1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente
  2. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking liquid
  3. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high
  4. Cook sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through and browned and crispy in spots, 6–8 minutes
  5. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate
  6. Add sliced fennel to skillet; season with salt and pepper
  7. Cook, stirring occasionally, until fennel begins to soften, about 5 minutes
  8. Continue to cook, adding 1/4 cup water to skillet as bottom begins to brown (you may need to do this a few times), until soft and caramelized, 10–15 minutes more
  9. Add pasta and reserved pasta cooking liquid to skillet and cook, tossing to coat, until liquid has reduced to a creamy sauce, about 4 minutes
  10. Add sausage and fennel fronds, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine