Description
This turkey sausage and fennel orecchiette is such an incredible and simple pasta dinner! Roasted peppers and artichoke hearts round out the dish.
Ingredients
- 1 pound Orecchiette Pasta
- 1 dash Olive Oil, Plus Additional For Drizzling At The End
- 1 pound Italian Style Turkey Sausage, Casings Removed
- 1 bulb Fennel, Fronds Removed And Diced Small
- 1 jar (12 Oz. Size) Marinated Artichoke Hearts, Drained
- 1 jar (12 Oz. Size) Roasted Red Peppers, Drained
- 1 pinch Salt
- 1 pinch Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
- ¼ cups Dry Red Wine
- 1 dash Worcestershire Sauce
- ½ cups Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese, Plus Additional For Topping
- Fresh Basil, Cut Into Chiffonade, As Needed For Garnish
Preparation
First, get the pasta going. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously. Pour in the orecchiette and let it cook for 8–10 minutes, until tender. Stir it occasionally to make sure it doesn’t stick together. While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a large, shallow pot over medium high heat. Brown the turkey sausage in it while you break it up thoroughly. Remove the sausage to a plate and drain any excess grease out of the pot. Get the pot back on the heat and add the fennel. Let it soften for a couple of minutes, then add the artichoke hearts and roasted red peppers. Return the sausage to the pan and season the mixture with the salt and pepper as you stir it together. Add the Worcestershire sauce, then deglaze the pot with the red wine and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom. Turn the heat down to medium low and let the mixture meld together for 6–8 minutes.
The pasta should be done by this point. Reserve 1/4 cup of the water it cooked in, then drain the pasta and transfer it to the pot of sauce. Pour in the reserved water, a generous drizzle of olive oil and the parmesan cheese and toss it all together thoroughly. Then scoop into pretty bowls and top with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil ribbons. Serve immediately and enjoy!
