Published: Oct 14, 2014 · Modified: Jan 21, 2021 by foodyschmoody ·

One Pot Sausage Orecchiette

This One Pot Sausage Orecchiette is a meal that is packed full of flavor while using a minimal amount of ingredients.

Have you guys noticed I've been on a bit of a One Pot Meal kick lately? Why wouldn't I be? Washing pots and pans is a huge pan in my butt. Dishes, no big deal, I can pop those in the dishwasher. The fact that my pans aren't dishwasher safe combined with the unfortunate mindset I have of not relaxing until the kitchen is cleaned up makes a great argument for one pot meals!

A long, time ago, way before I knew what I was doing here, I shared with you one of my favorites Sausage, Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe. I freakin' love broccoli rabe but I understand that not everyone does. It's one of those things, you either love it or hate it. Unfortunately, in my family, we fall on different sides of that fence. I wanted to create that dish but make it a little more family friendly. Once I decided to nix the broccoli rabe, I thought, why not make this even easier and make it a one potter!

As with most things I cook, I start my pan with softening up some onion.

I then move to the sausage. I use all Hot Italian Sausage because that sausage is packed full of flavor, resulting in not having to deal with seasoning the dish too much. If using all hot is too much for you, use half hot and half Sweet Italian Sausage (just know I'm totally judging you).

Once your onions and sausage are cooked up add in vegetable broth. You can totally use chicken broth. I just happen to prefer vegetable broth because I think it packs more flavor than chicken. Do your own thing.

$10 Halloween Costumes - Orange Tag Specials

Once you get your broth in you dump in your pasta. I'm not usually too picky about the doneness of pasta but for some reason when I use orecchiette, I want it no more than al dente. After all, I want the pasta to be strong enough to act as a vessel for my crumbled sausage. I mean, the beauty of orecchiette is that because of its shape, all kinds of yumminess can get stored in there, creating a perfectly flavored bite.

Okay, on to the arugula. Arugula, much like spinach, will look like a lot when it's raw but it cooks down to next to nothing. So when I say 6 oz, I am not mistaken, I did indeed use 6 oz. You're probably going to have to add the arugula in batches. I toss in a handful or two, pop the cover on the pan and watch it start to wilt down after a minute or two. I then remove the cover, give it a stir and add in more. Repeat that process until you've got all your arugula in there.

You then want to take the skillet off the heat and stir in your cheese. Please grate your own. It's so much better. I promise.

When you serve it feel free to top it with more grated cheese. Go ahead. you deserve it.

Now, I've got one optional step for you. Just be warned, if you go this extra step, you've crossed the line out of one pot meal land. With that being said, I totally recommend you do this. Toast some breadcrumbs! Yep, toasted breadcrumbs on pasta is awesome. So for this dish, I just heated up a small skillet, added ½ T butter and about ¼ C whole wheat breadcrumbs (that's the only kind I had) and let them toast up for a few minutes over medium heat and then sprinkled them over the finished dish.

Did you know that every time you click through and visit our advertisers and/or make purchases through our affiliate links, you are supporting this page? We appreciate that!

Printable Recipe Card