Wild Garlic & Sausage Orecchiette with Chilli & Fennel

Wild Garlic & Sausage Orecchiette with Chilli & Fennel

Inspired by the flavours of Tuscany, this simple yet flavour-packed pasta dish brings together fennel, chilli, garlic, and sausage — the heart of Tuscan cooking.The secret lies in using wild garlic for a fresh, aromatic finish that lifts the whole dish.Quick, comforting, and absolutely delicious — this is the perfect 20-minute dinner for any day of the week.

Timings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 400g orecchiette pasta

• 6 sausages, skins removed

• ½ fennel bulb, chopped

• 1 tsp dried chilli flakes

• Pinch of salt and pepper

• 30g butter

• 1 handful wild garlic, chopped

• 70g Parmesan, grated

Method

Cook the pasta

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the orecchiette for about 9 minutes, or until al dente.Before draining, reserve about 75ml of the pasta water to help create your sauce later.

Make the sauce

In a large frying pan, add the sausage meat, chopped fennel, and chilli flakes.Cook on a medium heat, breaking up the sausage with the back of a wooden spoon until golden and fragrant.Season with salt and pepper.

Combine and finish

Add the butter and the reserved pasta water, bringing it to the boil so it reduces slightly and forms a rich sauce.Stir in the chopped wild garlic and the drained pasta.Toss everything together over the heat and finish with grated Parmesan.

Notes

• Can’t find wild garlic? Substitute with 3 finely chopped garlic cloves, gently fried in butter before adding the pasta water.

• Try swapping orecchiette for fusilli or rigatoni — both capture the sauce beautifully.

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