Orecchiette with sausage and spinach is simple and fast to make with a tasty Italian sausage, spinach, garlic, and white wine sauce. It's perfect for busy weeknights - it can be on your table in about 30 minutes.
Love Italian sausage? Try my Spicy Italian Sausage Pasta, Tuscan Sausage Pasta, or one pot Italian Sausage Orzo.
Did you know that orecchiette literally translates to "little ears"? I don't cook with it very often, but it's definitely a fun pasta shape to keep in your pantry. I think you'll love this sauce for orecchiette, but you can always swap it for another shape of pasta if you prefer!
How to make orecchiette with sausage and spinach (overview):
Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it according to package directions. Meanwhile, add the crumbled sausage and onion to a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until nicely browed. Stir in the garlic, followed by the Dijon mustard and then the white wine. Let it reduce for a minute or two, then add in the basil and spinach and toss until wilted. Add the drained pasta, toss again, and serve with freshly grated parmesan. (Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below)
Recipe notes & tips:
- If you want some spice, use hot Italian sausage and/or add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes.
- I recommend using a dry white wine (try a sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio or even chardonnay), but you could swap for chicken broth if you need to. In that case, you may want to double the Dijon mustard.
- This recipe is very flexible! You could throw in mushrooms or other veggies if you happen to have some that need using up.
- There is no cream in this recipe, but adding a splash towards the end of cooking would be a tasty addition.
- Tools used: garlic press to crush the garlic (this is what I use for most recipes that call for "minced" garlic), Microplane to grate the parm, and tongs to toss the spinach until it wilts.
More delicious recipes with Italian sausage:
- Italian Sausage White Bean Soup
- Spicy Italian Sausage Gnocchi
- Cheesy Sausage Potato Soup
- Easy Baked Penne with Sausage
- Easy Sausage Rigatoni
- Zuppa Toscana (Sausage, Bacon, Potato, and Kale Soup)
Hope you love this easy orecchiette pasta recipe! Questions? Did you make it? Leave me a comment/review below!
Orecchiette with Sausage and Spinach
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked orecchiette pasta
- 16 ounces Italian sausages see note
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
- For serving: freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, crumble the sausage meat into a skillet (take it out of casings if using whole sausages). Add the onion to the skillet as well, and sauté over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes or until it's cooked through and nicely browned. If there's more than about 1-2 tablespoons of fat left in the skillet, spoon out the excess, but be sure to leave some since we're not adding any extra butter or oil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the garlic and Dijon mustard (cook for about 30 seconds).
- Pour in the wine and cook until reduced by half (about 1-2 minutes).
- Add in the spinach and basil. Toss (using tongs or two large spoons) until the spinach has wilted, then add in the drained pasta and toss again.
- Season with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately with freshly grated parmesan cheese over top.
Notes
- There is quite a lot of sausage in the sauce, so you could definitely get away with using a bit less than the full pound. Here in Canada, Johnsonville sausages come in a 500g pack (that's just over a pound, and I find it easiest to just use the whole thing). Whatever brand you like best will work just fine, and you can either take the sausage meat out of the casings or just use ground sausage meat.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Mary West says
This was an excellent dinner, quick to come together and the orecchiette pasta did indeed hold the sauce perfectly. I loved the dish and served it with some butternut squash that had to be cooked. But it is a whole meal in itself.
Natasha says
Wonderful!! 🙂 I'm so happy you enjoyed it!
Mark says
Made this recipe mostly as written (I eyeballed the mustard, did not get any basil, and added a splash of lemon juice at the end before the cheese) and I really enjoyed it! I really like the way the sauce thickened with just the fat from the mustard and meat. Very satisfying and easy to make, and I'll add it to my regular rotation!
Natasha says
I'm so happy that you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Thanks so much for your review, Mark!
Morgan Brown says
If I don’t have orecchiette pasta, what would you recommend?!
Looks so yummy!
Natasha says
Any shape you have on hand, but I'd probably use a shorter shape like penne (something like that vs. spaghetti). Enjoy!
Trish says
Hi! This looks yum! Can you use frozen spinach? Would you cook the frozen separately and then put in?
Thanks!
Natasha says
Hi! I'd thaw the frozen spinach and squeeze out the water as much as you can, then add it in towards the end of cooking time.
Lynne says
Can you taste the mustard (husband hates it)? Also can you substitute the orecchiette. With another pasta?
Natasha says
Hi Lynne! Absolutely you can swap the orecchiette with another pasta. Re: the mustard, it just helps build layers of flavor... I don't think you can taste it since it melds into the sauce, but I also love the stuff, so you could probably just leave it out for his sake. 🙂