Recipe Background
Practically perfect in every way! Yes, Perfect Pasta checks all the boxes, and with enthusiasm. Ready in just 30 minutes! Savory sausage and leeks in a white wine sauce! Sharp parmesanand Asiago sprinkled over the top of tender pasta! Check, check, check! It's perfect! Well, it has to be... or it wouldn't be called Perfect Pasta!
Practically perfect in every way! Yes, Perfect Pasta checks all the boxes, and with enthusiasm. Ready in just 30 minutes! Savory sausage and leeks in a white wine sauce! Sharp parmesanand Asiago sprinkled over the top of tender pasta! Check, check, check! It's perfect! Well, it has to be... or it wouldn't be called Perfect Pasta!
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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