Orecchiette with Sausage, Chickpeas and Mint

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F&W’s Justin Chapple gives his pasta with sausage a twist by adding chickpeas and mint and finishing the dish with a dollop of yogurt. Slideshow: More Pasta Recipes 

Orecchiette with Sausage, Chickpeas and Mint
Photo: © Andrew Purcell
Total Time:
30 mins
Yield:
6

Ingredients

  • 1 pound orecchiette

  • cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • ¾ pound sweet Italian sausage (loose)

  • 1 red onion (large thinly sliced)

  • 15 ounces chickpeas (1 can rinsed and drained)

  • 1 cup mint leaves (small)

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • Salt

  • Pepper

  • Plain yogurt (for serving)

Directions

  1. In a pot of salted boiling water, cook the orecchiette until al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the cooking water.

  2. Wipe out the pot and heat the olive oil in it. Add the sausage and cook over moderate heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and nearly cooked through, 7 minutes. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, orecchiette and reserved cooking water and toss over moderate heat until the pasta is hot and coated in a light sauce, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mint and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pasta into bowls and serve with yogurt.

Suggested Pairing

Pair this pasta dish with a spice-inflected Barbera d’Alba.

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