Recipe Background
Perfect Pasta blends chicken sausage, leeks, and wine for a flavorful, comforting experience.
Growing up in a bustling Italian neighborhood, every Sunday was pasta day. My grandmother would bring sweet Italian sausage to the pot, its aroma drawing everyone to the table. This dish, however, takes me back to the first day after moving out on my own, setting up a small kitchen in my first solo apartment. Amidst unpacking, I had a craving for the comforting flavors that echoed those familial Sundays. I decided to recreate a version of her classic dish using the lightness of chicken sausage—a nod to new beginnings, yet familiar enough to taste like home.
Tossing in leeks was my twist, inspired by a summer in the south of France, where leeks seemed to accompany every meal. With wine always a staple in my pantry, I happily splashed some into the mix, letting it bubble down to a rich, fragrant sauce. Recalling how my grandmother used to tell me never to waste a drop of flavor, I made sure to scrape up every browned bit from the skillet to infuse that deep savor into the pasta.
Once the orecchiette was cooked to the perfect al dente, I combined it with the savory sausage mixture, garnishing generously with Parmesan and Asiago cheese. That creamy, luxurious finish was a personal touch—something I had picked up from watching countless Italian nonnas cook over the years. The final trick, learned from chefs I admired, was reserving a bit of pasta water to help the sauce cling just right. It transformed a simple dish into a stunning homage to past and present, grounding me in both comfort and adventure.
Ingredients
- 1 pound sweet Italian chicken sausage casings removed
- 4 leeks thoroughly washed, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
- 1 bunch dinosaur kale optional, finely shredded
- 2/3 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon butter
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 (16-ounce) orecchiette pasta
- 1 cup parmesan cheese finely shredded
- 1 cup Asiago cheese finely shredded
Directions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausage and cook, while crumbling with a wooden spoon, until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the chopped leeks and the kale to the sausage and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the wine to the sausage mixture and cook, while stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to release the browned bits, until the wine has mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes.
- Add the butter, the salt, and the black pepper to the sausage mixture and stir to combine.
- In a large pot of salted, boiling water, add the pasta and cook to al dente, according to the package directions.
- Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, draining the remainder.
- In the pot used to cook the pasta, add the pasta and the sausage mixture and toss to combine.
- If the sauce feels too thin or seems to not be sticking to the pasta, add the reserved pasta water, a little at a time, until it comes together. You may not need all or any of the reserved pasta water.
- Add the parmesan cheese and the Asiago cheese to the pasta mixture and toss to combine. Optionally, you can top the pasta with the parmesan and the Asiago instead of tossing.
- Taste the pasta mixture for seasoning and add the salt and the pepper, as needed.
- Serve.
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