Chorizo Pasta With Kale & Creamy Ricotta Sauce
I was craving pasta & decided to get creative with the ingredients I needed to use/what was in my pantry. I originally wanted to do a stuffed shell pasta bake but I didn’t have shells so we ended up here. & it turned out delish!
One thing I will say about this pandemic is it has definitely forced me to get creative in the kitchen (in all aspects of life, actually). The constant need to improvise & use what I have on hand since I try to limit my grocery store runs to once a week has become a fun puzzle. But today I had no energy, I’m smack in the middle of getting my new home in Miami together so pasta was a quick & easy solution. It has all the flavor & yumminess of stuffed shell pasta minus all the tedious work. Plus a added kick from the chorizo. Just toss everything together over a creamy ricotta concoction. Genius!
Learn from my mistake & make sure you save at least one cup of pasta water. I saved a little less than half a cup of on accident & I deeply wish I remembered to save more. I was originally going for a saucier sauce but regardless it still turned out delicious. Just would have been better with more sauce.
First step is just boiling some water for the pasta. Once pasta is cooked (& this is where I messed up) take out 1 1/2 cups of water & set to the side. Drain pasta & leave resting while you make the sauce.
Next, I made the greens greens. After caramelizing shallots in a little olive oil add a bunch of kale & cook.
Finally, the sauce. I kept this super simple using crushed tomatoes (I only used what I had which was half a can, I suggest using a whole), tomato paste, dried oregano & thyme. I also added chorizo sausage for an added kick of spiciness & depth of flavor. It worked better than I could have imagined! While that simmers make the ricotta sauce. If you don’t have any it’s not a deal breaker but it’s such an amazing addition! It’s fluffy cheese, how can you say no. I made it all in under 30 minutes so this will definitely be going in the staples going forward.
Ingredients:
1 lb pasta ribbons (or any pasta you like!)
6 tbsp olive oil
1/2 lb chorizo sausage (or 1/2 the package. can also be made with ground meat or meatless meat.)
2 cups kale, chopped (spinach or chard will also do!)
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp thyme leaves
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 can crushed tomatoes (optional)
salt & black pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
1/2 lemon juice
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, whisked thoroughly
The Process:
Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta & cook according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 1/2 cups of the pasta water. Drain.
Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. When the oil sizzles, add the chorizo sausage & brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add shallots, garlic, oregano & thyme. Cook until shallots begin to caramelize, about another 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, kale, 1 cup pasta cooking water. Season with salt & pepper if needed. Cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat or until the sauce thickens slightly.
Add the pasta, 1/4 cup basil & stir. If needed, thin the sauce with additional pasta cooking water.
In a small bowl, mix 1/4 cup olive oil with the remaining 1/4 cup basil, lemon juice, whipped ricotta & a pinch of salt.
Spread ricotta mixture onto the bottom of the serving bowl. Spoon the pasta over the ricotta.
Enjoy!
