One Pan Spicy Italian Sausage and Orecchiette Pasta with Arugula Recipe
This One Pan Orecchiette Pasta is a flavorful and easy-to-make dish perfect for quick meals. It features spicy Italian sausage, tender orecchiette pasta, and fresh arugula, all cooked in a single skillet with low-sodium chicken broth. The recipe is budget-friendly, requires minimal kitchen equipment, and delivers a comforting, cheesy finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 2 servings
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- Salt to taste
- 8 ounces spicy Italian sausages, casings removed
- 3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided, or as needed
- 1 ¼ cups orecchiette pasta, or more to taste
- ½ cup roughly chopped arugula, or to taste
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, or to taste
Instructions
- Prepare Ingredients: Gather all the ingredients needed for the recipe to ensure an efficient cooking process.
- Sauté Onions: Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften and become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Cook Sausage: Add the spicy Italian sausage (with casings removed) to the skillet. Cook, stirring and breaking it apart, until the sausage is browned and cooked through, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add Broth and Deglaze: Pour 1 ½ cups of low-sodium chicken broth into the skillet with the sausage mixture. Bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to incorporate flavor.
- Cook Pasta: Stir in the orecchiette pasta into the boiling broth and sausage mixture. Continue cooking, adding the remaining chicken broth gradually as it is absorbed, and stirring frequently until the pasta is fully cooked and most of the broth has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
- Add Arugula: Stir the roughly chopped arugula into the pasta and sausage mixture until the arugula wilts, adding freshness and slight peppery flavor.
- Serve and Garnish: Spoon the pasta into bowls and generously sprinkle with finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese before serving.
Notes
- Use a deep skillet or sauté pan to accommodate the liquid and pasta for even cooking.
- Adjust the amount of chicken broth as needed depending on pasta absorption and desired consistency.
- For a milder flavor, substitute spicy Italian sausage with sweet Italian sausage.
- Can be easily doubled or tripled for more servings using a larger pan.
- Leftovers can be refrigerated and gently reheated in a skillet with a splash of broth to loosen the pasta.
