Orecchiette with Sausage, Chickpeas and Mint

By GadgetGirl

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.

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

Ingredients

• 1 pound orecchiette
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 pound loose sweet Italian sausage
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• One 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup small mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Plain yogurt, for serving

Details

Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 30mins
Adapted from bon appétit.com

Preparation

Step 1

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