Not to sound repetitive, but here’s another simple weeknight dinner: One-Pan Creamy Orecchiette Pasta.
Picture a complete pasta meal cooked in a single skillet: sliced chicken sausages, tender spinach and sweet peas mingling with orecchiette in a silky, cheesy sauce. All made in one pan for minimal cleanup and maximum flavor.
I’m serious — this one-pan method works.
Orecchiette is one of my favorite pasta shapes because it catches sauce in its little cups and makes peas look like pearls. If you haven’t cooked with it often, this recipe is a great introduction.
Have about 30 minutes? This dish comes together quickly and is comforting and satisfying. Scroll down to follow the simple steps.
To Make This Creamy Orecchiette Pasta You Will Need:
- pre-cooked chicken sausages
- shallot
- garlic
- low-sodium chicken broth
- baby spinach
- frozen peas
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- heavy cream
The reason this meal is fast (aside from being one-pan) is that the sausages are pre-cooked. Simply slice them, brown briefly in oil and you’re ready to continue.
Start by slicing the chicken sausages on an angle about 1/4-inch thick.
Heat a deep 10-inch skillet over medium with a tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add the sausage slices and brown the edges until crisp and golden.
Transfer the browned sausages to a bowl and set aside.
While the sausages cook, thinly slice a large shallot and mince three medium cloves of garlic.
Add the shallot and garlic to the skillet and cook until just starting to soften, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in 2 heaping cups of orecchiette and pour in 4 cups (1 quart) of low-sodium chicken broth.
Cover the pan, raise the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil. Once boiling, remove the lid, stir the pasta, and reduce the heat to medium–medium-high. Cook until the pasta is al dente, about 10–12 minutes (start checking at 8 minutes and taste for doneness).
By this point the pasta should be cooked but there will still be some broth in the pan — that liquid becomes the base of the sauce.
Once the pasta is tender but still saucy:
Lower the heat to low and add a couple generous handfuls of baby spinach, 1 cup of frozen peas and half of the Parmesan cheese. Stir until the spinach wilts.
Add a few splashes of heavy cream to enrich the sauce, then return the sausage to the skillet. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, stir to combine and heat through.
Serve family-style with extra grated Parmesan and fresh basil if you like.
This dish is creamy, comforting and incredibly straightforward. One less pot to wash is always a win.
I’ll happily skip boiling pasta separately from now on—fewer pots, less fuss.
Finish with an extra sprinkle of Parmesan and dig in.
Enjoy! If you make this Creamy Orecchiette Pasta, take a photo and share it—I’d love to see how it turns out for you.
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
One-Pan Creamy Orecchiette Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 ounces Italian chicken sausages
- 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups orecchiette pasta
- 1 quart low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 large handfuls baby spinach
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh basil, for serving
Equipment
-
Large, deep-sided 10-inch skillet
Instructions
-
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, deep-sided 10-inch skillet over medium heat.
-
Add sliced sausages and cook until edges are golden brown. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
-
Add shallot and garlic to the pan and cook until just softened, about 1–2 minutes.
-
Stir in the orecchiette and pour in all of the broth. Scrape up any browned bits, cover, increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover and reduce heat to medium–medium-high. Cook about 10–12 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and the broth has reduced but not fully absorbed.
-
Reduce heat to low. Add the spinach, peas and Parmesan, stirring until the spinach wilts. Add a few splashes of heavy cream, then return the sausages to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Stir to combine and serve into bowls with extra Parmesan on top.
