The sweetness of sun-dried tomatoes with the savory saltiness of sausage is one of my absolute favorite combinations in the world. When earthy mushrooms are thrown in too, it’s a whole flavor party going on and I’m here for it. All of those ingredients were tossed with my handmade orecchiette, which just took it to the next level. That link to my post on making the homemade orecchiette will give you all of the info. You can make it ahead if you wish so that it’s ready to go when you need it. If making homemade pasta isn’t your game though, or you want this on the table with no fuss at all, boxed orecchiette is just fine. Aside from making the pasta, this gorgeous dinner can be on the table in just half an hour!
I’m not exaggerating when I say this is probably my favorite dinner I’ve ever made. The ingredients all could truly shine since there wasn’t a thick sauce hiding them. A lot of true Italian dishes are like this, in that they’re just very lightly sauced so that the beautiful ingredients don’t drown. It’s something my Nana Lulu would have been truly proud of if I served it to her. Hope you all love it too! xoxo
Tender orecchiette tossed with lots of sweet Italian sausage, sun dried tomatoes, and mushrooms in a light parmesan sauce. It's Italian perfection in a bowl!
- 1 dash olive oil
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage casings removed
- 1 jar sun-dried tomatoes 12 ounces, drained
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms thinly sliced
- 6 cloves roasted garlic mashed into a paste *make ahead. see note
- 3 tablespoons red wine
- 2 pinches salt
- 2 pinches crushed red pepper
- 1/2 cup grated parmesam cheese
- 1 pound orecchiette either my handmade version, or boxed
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Get out a large, sturdy pot (like a dutch oven) and heat the olive oil in it over medium high heat. Brown the sausage in it as you crumble it up, which will take a few minutes. Once it is brown, add in the sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms and roasted garlic. Let them soften and get fragrant for a couple of minutes. Pour in the wine and let it cook off for another 5 minutes or so. While it all cooks together, season it to taste with the salt and crushed red pepper.
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In the meantime, boil water in a big pot for the orecchiette and then generously salt it. Cook the orecchiette until tender. It will take less time for the homemade pasta than the boxed, but just taste it to see. The fresh will take usually about 4-5 minutes versus 8-10 for the boxed. When it has cooked for a few minutes, scoop out 3/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Pour it into the pot of sausage and veggies, along with the parmesan. They will emulsify together to form a sauce. Drain the pasta when it is tender and toss it into the pot with the rest. Stir it all thoroughly and serve immediately!
*to roast garlic, pre-heat the oven to 400. Remove the outer paper layers of a head of garlic and cut the top tip off to reveal the cloves inside. Dizzle the top with a little olive oil, then wrap it in foil and roast it in the oven for an hour. Perfection, it has so many uses! It can be stored in the refrigerator for weeks, I made it a couple of days prior to Thanksgiving cooking and used it in all of my recipes.
