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Home Pasta

Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in creamy tomato sauce

By:Nagi
Published:1 Jun '20Updated:7 Apr '21
159 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Orecchiette has one big thing going for it that other pastas do not: its cup shape makes it the perfect vehicle to hold special pasta sauces. The creamy tomato sausage pasta sauce featured in this recipe is orecchiette worthy!

Decadent? Yes. Have salad tomorrow!

Close up of Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce in skillet, ready to be served

Orecchiette Sausage Pasta

Don’t you hate it when you twirl an enormous mound of spaghetti on your fork, only to find that you’ve just got pasta and no toppings??

Even more annoying is when you bring it up to your mouth and loose strands slap around your mouth, causing pasta sauce to splatter all over your face – and your white top.

Such are the challenges of our pasta lovin’ life.

Thankfully, the Italians came up with a solution – little cup shaped pastas called “orecchiette” which act as little scoops to hold pasta sauce. How clever is that?! 🙌🏻

Orecchiette pasta

Truth be told, I do not know if orecchiette pasta was invented to solve the pasta-slapping/sauce splattering/toppingless spaghetti problem.

I just know that it’s wildly practical – and we should all use it more often!! 😂

(PS And you can, in fact, use it for virtually any pasta recipe. Orecchiette Bolognese, anyone??)

Today, I’m sharing a flavour loaded, decadent creamy tomato sausage pasta sauce that I deem to be orecchiette worthy. The little bits of sausage nestled in those little cups, blanketed in that creamy sauce … mmmm! It’s so good it should be illegal!

“Orecchiette” means “ear” in Italian which refers to the ear-like shape of this type of pasta.

Overhead photo of Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce in bowl, ready to be eaten

What you need for Orecchiette Sausage Pasta

Here’s what you need:

What goes in Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

  • Italian sausages – the better the sausage, the better the sauce! Here in Australia, Italian sausages only come in link form (as pictured above), but squeezing the meat out is cinch to do. In fact, anyone with a lifetime of cooking sausages knows full well the meat wants to come out of the casings!

  • Kale – to break up the richness of the sauce. Spinach works great here too;

  • Tomato Passata or puree – this thickens the sauce as well as providing lovely tomato flavour to cut through the richness of the cream and sausage. Tomato Passata, called tomato puree in the US, is just pure, plain tomato that’s pureed and strained – nowadays found in everyday supermarkets in Australia. But don’t fret if you can’t find it – crushed tomato or even tomato paste can be used in a cinch (quantities in recipe);

  • Parmesan – for a flavour boost!

  • Cream and milk – cream provides the richness, milk thins out the sauce more whilst still keeping the sauce that lovely pink colour!

  • Garlic – because very few of my recipes don’t have garlic;

  • Italian herbs – staying on theme with the sausages. Just use a store bought premix. Not the end of the world if you don’t use dried herbs in this, we get loads of flavour from the sausages; and

  • Red pepper flakes (chilli flakes) – for a hint of warmth. Optional!


How to make Orecchiette Sausage Pasta

Nothing unique about the making part! The sausage pasta sauce comes together in the same time the orecchiette pasta takes to cook (12 minutes), making this a great quick dinner recipe.

How to make Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce in skillet, fresh off the stove

KEY TIP: Avoid the cheap sausages that are a uniform pink colour – they are loaded with fillers. Look for sausages with specks of meat and white fat, as pictured above.

Close up of spoon scooping up Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

On the side

I’d love to be able to tell you that this is a complete meal…but it’s a wee bit light on the greens! 😂 So add a fresh salad on the side to round it out – here are a few suggestions:

Close up of a refreshing Cucumber Salad with a tasty Herb & Garlic Dressing
Cucumber Salad with Herb Garlic Vinaigrette
Close up of juicy Tomato Salad with Basil, ready to be served
Cherry Tomato Salad with Basil
Pouring salad dressing over leafy salad
Everyday Salad Dressing
Close up of Balsamic Dressing being drizzled over rocket salad with shaved parmesan
Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan
Close up of Broccoli Salad with Lighter Creamy Dressing with bacon, almonds, cranberries and red onion
Broccoli Salad with Lighter Creamy Dressing
Balsamic Vinegar Dressing - A classic everyone should know: 1 part vinegar, 3 parts oil. Keep for 3 weeks+. www.recipetineats.com
Balsamic Vinegar Dressing
Italian Dressing - the one dressing everyone should ALWAYS have in the fridge! Keeps for 2 weeks. www.recipetineats.com
Italian Dressing Recipe

You know something? I just realised that I forgot to mention another very important characteristic of orecchiette pasta:

YOU CAN EAT IT WITH A SPOON

Which means it falls into a very important category of food I call Couch Food, being food you can eat with a spoon without taking your eyes off the TV.

Or trashy novel. Or a rag-mag.

Just something that requires minimal brainpower so you can concentrate on really savouring Every. Single. Bite! – Nagi x

PS I suppose one could eat this while reading something a little more intellectual, but I just think my brain would implode with all that delicious going on in my mouth as well as having to think while reading? My brain just doesn’t have the bandwidth for that.😇


Watch how to make it

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Orecchiette Sausage Pasta in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Author: Nagi
Prep: 10 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Mains
Italian-esque, Western
4.99 from 77 votes
Servings5 - 5 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Orecchiette has one big thing going for it that other pastas do not: its cup shape makes it the perfect vehicle to hold special pasta sauces. The creamy tomato sausage pasta sauce featured in this recipe is orecchiette worthy. Decadent? Yes. Have salad tomorrow!

Ingredients

  • 400g / 14oz orecchiette pasta (or other pasta)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 500g / 1lb Italian pork sausages , meat squeezed out of their casings (see video, Note 1)
  • 1/4 cup white wine , anything not too sweet (sub water)
  • 1 cup tomato passata (called "tomato puree" in US, Note 2)
  • 3/4 cup cream , heavy/thickened
  • 3/4 cup milk (any fat %)
  • 1/3 cup parmesan , finely grated
  • 1 tsp Italian herbs (Note 3)
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
  • 3 cups (packed) kale leaves , torn into bite size pieces (or baby spinach, swiss chard, Tuscan kale etc)
  • Parmesan , for serving

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to the boil and cook pasta according to packet directions MINUS 1 minute. Just before draining, scoop out 1 cup of pasta cooking water and set aside. (Note 4)
  • Heat oil in a very large skillet over high heat. Add garlic and cook for 15 seconds.
  • Add sausage meat and cook, breaking it up as you go, until there are some little golden bits - about 4 minutes.
  • Add wine and cook, scraping the bottom of the skillet to remove the golden bits, and allow wine to evaporate - the winey smell will disappear.
  • Add remaining ingredients except kale. Stir well, bring to simmer then turn stove down to low and simmer gently for 2 minutes to bring all the flavours together.
  • Add pasta and kale. Toss well for 1 minute to coat pasta well with the sauce - it will thicken. If the sauce gets too thick, use the reserved pasta cooking water to loosen it up (Note 4).
  • Serve immediately, garnished with freshly grated parmesan

Recipe Notes:

1. Sausage - the better the sausage, the better the pasta! Avoid the very cheap sausages used for backyard BBQ's that are a uniform pink colour (pink = fillers = no good for cooking like this). Look for sausages where you can see chunks of meat and fat, like you see in the recipe video and photos.
If using link sausages (in Australia, we only get Italian sausage meat in sausage form), squeeze the meat from the casings (it's easy, demo in video).
2. Tomato passata -  pureed, strained pure tomatoes, sometimes labelled Tomato Puree in the US (here's a photo of Mutti Tomato Passata sold at Walmart). Readily available in Australian supermarkets nowadays, alongside pasta sauces. If you can't find it, use crushed canned tomatoes and simmer rapidly for 5 minutes to reduce it more. 
3. Italian Herbs - just use a store bought pre mix. Otherwise, make up your own with equal amounts of thyme, basil, oregano, parsley and a pinch of rosemary.
4. Pasta cooking water - the starch in the water thickens the sauce when tossed with pasta. So if the sauce needs thinning, best to use the pasta cooking water instead of just normal water. Great traditional Italian pasta cooking technique to use in every pasta recipe!
5. Nutrition per serving. Never said it was diet. I said it was DELICIOUS! Shave off 80 calories by using light cream or half and half instead of full fat cream (sauce will still be nice and thick from the tomato).

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 817cal (41%)Carbohydrates: 71g (24%)Protein: 32g (64%)Fat: 44g (68%)Saturated Fat: 18g (113%)Cholesterol: 125mg (42%)Sodium: 949mg (41%)Potassium: 859mg (25%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 6g (7%)Vitamin A: 4864IU (97%)Vitamin C: 54mg (65%)Calcium: 238mg (24%)Iron: 4mg (22%)
Keywords: orecchiette, orecchiette with sausage, Sausage Pasta
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

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159 Comments

  1. Candy J says

    August 21, 2022 at 9:32 pm

    5 stars
    OMG, this was so delicious. My brother and sister stopped in to say Hello. Their timing was just right, I had just completed making this dish so we sat down and ate the whole thing. I added rolls and a salad, it was so good. I can’t wait to make again. I love your recipes.

    Reply
  2. Carolyn says

    August 19, 2022 at 4:24 am

    5 stars
    Very good! I used 1,5 cups of half and half and frozen chopped kale. My kids love this and it’s great as leftovers the next day.

    Reply
  3. Annie says

    July 27, 2022 at 7:36 pm

    5 stars
    One of my favorite pasta dishes. I have been subbing with frozen kale due to the produce supply issues lately and it’s just as good as ever.

    Reply
  4. Leslie says

    May 25, 2022 at 7:05 pm

    Hi, Nagi
    Made this for dinner tonight. Apart from accidently adding more pepper, it was delicious! A bunch of kale looked too big so i used a 120g bag of baby spinach.
    Thanks,
    Leslie

    Reply
  5. Carol says

    April 6, 2022 at 9:06 pm

    I made it tonight for 7 and it was delicious, thanks Nagi you’re amazing.

    Reply
    • #nagisbiggestfan says

      May 16, 2022 at 6:25 pm

      5 stars
      Everyone licked the bowl, even the autistic child who hates everything I cook unless it is chicken nuggets and a couple of your other recipes. Swapped out Kale for baby spinach. For reference, I used Coles Finest Italian style Pork Sausages. I will try a different brand next time to see if it offers a different flavour profile. In the words of my husband “I’m really full but I don’t want to stop eating it”

      Reply
      • Suzie says

        April 19, 2023 at 11:01 am

        Thankyou for stating which Cole’s snags you used as I’m going to Coles now to get what I need to make this for dinner tonight. 😋😋😋

        Reply
  6. Holly says

    March 11, 2022 at 2:48 pm

    5 stars
    I used Farfalle and baby spinach.

    Super tasty!

    Thanks Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      March 12, 2022 at 12:59 pm

      I am happy you enjoyed it Holly!! N x

      Reply
  7. Adriane Jetton says

    February 28, 2022 at 12:24 pm

    This is absolutely delicious! Navi-you have the recipes I have been looking for all of my life. So happy to have found you and started cooking you delicious meals!

    Reply
    • Adriane Jetton says

      February 28, 2022 at 12:25 pm

      I meant to type NAGI!!!

      Reply
  8. Yvonne Smith says

    January 9, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    5 stars
    Made this tonight for my very fussy husband and son. They loved it. Even went for seconds! didn’t have Italian sausages in the freezer so used some Cambridge Chipolatas I already had. Was delicious. Will definitely make again.

    Reply
  9. Liz says

    December 13, 2021 at 2:19 pm

    OMG is all I have to say!!! This dish was out of this world 🌍

    Reply
  10. Linh tran says

    October 12, 2021 at 2:06 pm

    Can I freeze this at all, or will the cream make it split

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 13, 2021 at 1:09 pm

      Freezing not recommended…sorry! N x

      Reply
  11. Nicole Verlin says

    September 21, 2021 at 5:56 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious and will be added into my regular recipe rotation! I used fresh baby spinach and it was great. I also drained the fat from the sausage so that it wasn’t too greasy. Can’t wait to make this again, thanks!

    Reply
  12. Jackz says

    September 17, 2021 at 7:41 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy weeknight meal! Everyone loved it. Thanks for another winner, Nagi 😊 (I accidentally used 500g pasta but there was still enough sauce and sausage with the original quantities)

    Reply
  13. Taysia says

    September 17, 2021 at 4:38 pm

    5 stars
    WOW Nagi. This was insanely good. We made it last night, followed the recipe to a t and absolutely loved it. I’m not ashamed to admit that I decided to eat some of the leftovers for breakfast today lol this has definitely gone onto my favourites list which is so good because it was really fast and easy to make.

    Reply
  14. Rachael says

    August 2, 2021 at 8:30 pm

    5 stars
    A family favorite!
    Thank you for sharing such a delicious and quick family recipe.

    Reply
  15. Lynda says

    July 31, 2021 at 8:02 pm

    5 stars
    Was given some kale and headed straight to recipetineats to look for recipes. Found this one and thought oh yeah, I’ll try this as it looks quick to make.

    Cooked this tonight using sausages from the local butcher.
    WOW! Big flavour for not a lot of effort.

    Will grab more sausages next time I’m at the butcher to keep in the freezer as this is another awesome recipe using everyday ingredients. Thank you Nagi.

    Reply
  16. Lisa says

    May 10, 2021 at 5:51 pm

    Love this recipe, it’s such a staple in our house. I always make sure I have Italian sausages from my favourite butcher in the freezer, just so I can make this whenever we fancy…which is often. Yum!

    Reply
  17. Geoff says

    May 1, 2021 at 10:26 am

    Hope all is well with you……and the Dozer boy? Just wanted to know if the orecchiette sausage pasta is freezable?

    Reply
  18. Lynn Lozer says

    April 26, 2021 at 4:08 am

    I love your recipes, made this one tonight, it was fabulous.
    But you need to stop advertising Barilla pasta. They are anti LGBT and I won’t support the company.
    BTW, I’m a heterosexual woman

    Reply
  19. Michele T says

    April 24, 2021 at 6:56 pm

    Absolutely delicious Nagi! Perfect for a cool autumn evening 🥰

    Reply
  20. AMF says

    April 21, 2021 at 11:08 am

    5 stars
    This was even better than it sounded. It was delicious and came together really fast once I measured/prepped the ingredients. I left out the kale since my son and husband won’t eat it–still yummy. Perfect for a weeknight!

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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