One Pan Orecchiette Pasta

This delicious orecchiette pasta recipe only has a handful of ingredients, is very cheap to make, and most importantly, only uses one pan or pot for the entire procedure. Every year when it's time to go back to school I get inundated with requests from students to post recipes that are super-easy, cost pennies, and require a bare minimum of kitchen equipment — this is one of them!

Print Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Course lunch/dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2 people

Calories 1691 kcal

Equipment

1 Large, deep skillet Essential for cooking all components in one pan.
1 Wooden Spoon For stirring and scraping the pan effectively.
1 Chef's knife For dicing onion and preparing sausage.
1 Cutting Board For safe and efficient ingredient preparation.

Ingredients

Main

2 tablespoons olive oil
½ onion diced
salt to taste
8 ounces spicy Italian sausages casings removed
3 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth divided, or as needed
1 ¼ cups orecchiette pasta or more to taste
½ cup roughly chopped arugula or to taste
¼ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese or to taste

Instructions

Gather the ingredients. Allrecipes/Qi Ai
Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion with a pinch of salt; cook and stir until onion has softened and turned translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in sausage and cook until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Allrecipes/Qi Ai
Pour 1 1/2 cups chicken broth into sausage mixture and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Allrecipes/Qi Ai
Add orecchiette pasta; cook and stir pasta in hot broth, adding remaining broth when liquid is absorbed, until pasta is cooked through and most of the broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Allrecipes/Qi Ai
Stir arugula into sausage-pasta mixture until arugula wilts. Allrecipes/Qi Ai
Ladle pasta into bowls and sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Allrecipes/Qi Ai

Notes

Ensure the spicy Italian sausage is well browned to build a robust flavor foundation; the 'fond' created on the pan's bottom is key. The deglazing step with chicken broth is crucial—use your wooden spoon to actively scrape up all those flavorful bits. Monitor pasta doneness closely; taste for al dente as cooking times can vary. Adjust broth as needed to achieve a creamy consistency. For an enhanced flavor profile, consider adding a splash of dry white wine to deglaze after browning the sausage. A final squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of red pepper flakes upon serving can brighten and add complexity.