Pasta With Sausage, Red Onion, And Lentils

By á-170456

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried lentils
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion
• 4 Italian sweet sausages - (abt 13 oz) casings removed, and crumbled
• Salt to taste
• Freshly-ground black pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 12 ounces small pasta (such as conchiglie or pennette)
• 2 ounces grated pecorino Romano cheese - (abt 3/4 cup packed)
• 3 tablespoons finely-chopped fresh Italian parsley
• Additional extra-virgin olive oil
• Additional grated pecorino Romano cheese

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Cook lentils in small saucepan of boiling water until tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Drain well; set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sausage; sauté until sausage is light brown, about 8 minutes. Add wine and cook until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Stir in cooked lentils and cook until mixture is heated through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain well, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water.

Return cooked pasta to pot. Add sausage-lentil mixture, 3/4 cup cheese, and parsley and toss to coat. Add enough reserved pasta cooking water to moisten. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing additional olive oil and grated cheese.

This recipe yields 6 first-course or 4 main-course servings.

Adding some of the pasta's cooking water to this dish gives it a creamy quality.