Orecchiette with Sausage and Radicchio
Lighten up! Instead of sausage, use ground turkey plus ½ teaspoon dried oregano and ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes. Omit the bread, and opt for fat-free ricotta. Total savings: 57 calories and 6 fat grams per serving.
Author: Womansday/Photo credit to womansday.com
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. sweet or spicy Italian sausage
- 3 slice stale white bread
- 4 medium leeks
- 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 head radicchio
- 3 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. Freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb. orecchiette
- ½ c. ricotta cheese
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, for 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a bowl.
- Add bread to pan and sauté until lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bread to bowl with sausage.
- Add leeks, butter, and remaining olive oil to pan, and sauté until wilted, 12 to 15 minutes. Add radicchio, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 5 more minutes, stirring well. Transfer to bowl with sausage and bread, add pasta and reserved pasta water, and stir until combined. Garnish each serving with a dollop of ricotta.
