Dinner done in a flash!
This pasta dish is officially one of the boys new favorites! I was kind of shocked quite honestly, sun-dried tomatoes with little ones is kind of pushing the envelope. BUT – I am here to say it has been the most requested dinner since I have made it and I am not mad about it!
The only thing that takes the “longest” to cook is the sausage, which you can totally hack by buying pre-cooked chicken sausage and warming it through much quicker!
Creamy and cheesy, this sauce is done in the time it takes to cook the pasta – wicked fast! It is a flavor-packed pasta dish that is sure to please! If you are not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, don’t let this dish be forgotten, simply omit – OR – you can swap it for a few Tablespoons of pesto! YUM!
Creamy Sun-dried Tomato Chicken Sausage Orecchiette
- 1lb Mild Chicken Sausage Links
- 2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 Large Shallot, minced (3Tbsp)
- 2 Tbsp Flour
- 1 cup Chicken Stock
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
- 1 cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/2 cup Sun-dried Tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup pasta water reserved
First, let’s cook the chicken sausages …
1. Pre heat oven to 400*
2. Lay chicken sausages on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until sausage is cooked all the way through
Boil water for the Orecchiette, and cook according to package. Be sure to reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water before draining to help thin the sauce out at the end
For the sauce …
1. In a shallow dutch oven, or deep sauté pan, over medium heat – sauté the garlic and shallot with butter until fragrant and slightly translucent (1 minute )
2. Add the flour, and stir for 30 seconds to cover the shallot and garlic
3. Pour in the chicken stock, heavy cream, salt, pepper and oregano
4. Turn the heat down to medium-low and stir for a few minutes as the sauce thickens
5. Add the cheeses, and stir together until sauce is creamy and smooth – if it is too thick, add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water to thin
6. Add the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and stir in
7. Add the drained orecchiette and stir to coat the pasta evenly in the sauce
8. Lastly, plate with the sliced chicken sausages and enjoy!
