Sausage and fennel ragù with orecchiette

  • Portion size: Serves 3-4
  • Hands-on time 30 min
  • Difficulty: easy
Recipe by: Amanda James

Looking for an easy sausage pasta recipe? This hearty orecchiette with a flavour-packed sausage and fennel ragù is ideal for busy nights.

Open packet of orecchiette to use up? Try it in our orecchiette with burrata, tomatoes and garlic recipe.

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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 6 good quality pork sausages, casings removed, broken into small chunks
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced, green tops/fronds reserved
  • 1 large garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 150ml white wine
  • 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
  • 250g orecchiette

You’ll also need

  • Large sauté pan
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Method

  1. Heat the oil in a large non-stick sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sausagemeat and cook, stirring from time to time, for 10 minutes or until turning crispy and brown.
  2. Lower the heat a little, add the onion and fennel to the pan, then cook for 5 minutes until golden and softening. Add the garlic and chilli flakes, then cook for a minute more. Pour in the wine, scraping the bottom of the pan to lift any caramelised stuck-on flavour, then simmer for 5 minutes until the wine has almost completely reduced. Stir in the mustard.
  3. Meanwhile, cook the orecchiette according to the pack instructions, then  drain, reserving about 250ml of the pasta water.
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  5. Over a high heat, add the cooked pasta to the ragù along with just enough pasta water to create a light sauce, then mix. Sprinkle with black pepper and the reserved fennel fronds. Serve with a big green salad, if you like.

Nutrition

  • 622kcals Calories
  • 29.2g (9.7g saturated) Fat
  • 20.8g Protein
  • 58.1g (7.1g sugars) Carbs
  • 8.2g Fibre
  • 1.4g Salt

Quick wins & tips

FLAVOUR BOOST Add ½ tsp fennel seeds to the onion to boost the fennel flavour. Toss the pasta with a handful of freshly chopped tarragon and basil and a squeeze of lemon juice, if you have any to hand.

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