Orecchiette with Sausage, Kale, and Delicata Squash
A cozy pasta perfect for fall. Hot italian sausage adds maximum flavor, but with minimal prep, the kale gives the dish nutrition and texture, and the delicata squash adds a natural sweetness that is the perfect balance to the spicy sausage, with irresistibly caramelized edges. And its ready in only 30 minutes!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 delicata squash halved, deseeded, and cut into ½ inch slices
- 4 tbsp olive oil divided
- salt
- 2 links hot italian sausage casing removed
- ½ bunch curly kale stems removed and leaves thinly sliced
- 1 lb dried orecchiette
- Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Place sliced squash on baking sheet and toss with 2 tbsp oil and sprinkle of salt. Roast 20-25 minutes, until squash is tender and the bottoms are well caramelized
- Meanwhile bring large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Reserve 1 c pasta water and drain.
- As the pasta cooks, heat remaining 2 tbsp oil in heavy bottomed pan. Add sausage and use a wooden spoon to break it apart into crumbles. Cook 10-12 minutes, until its browned and fully cooked. Add kale and a sprinkle of salt, toss to coat it in oil, and cook its softened and tender, for 3-5 minutes.
- Add pasta and reserved pasta water to pan with sausage and kale, toss to mix. Add delicata slices on top of pasta and gently mix (the squash slices may begin to fall apart some). Serve immediately with a generous sprinkled of parmesan cheese.