Caramelised Onion & Italian Sausage Orecchiette Pasta
Jun 18, 2025
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This Caramelised Onion and Italian Sausage Orecchiette is rich, creamy and absolutely delicious. The sweet onions and savoury sausage melt into a luscious sauce that coats every bite of pasta. It's the perfect dish for a cosy midweek dinner or a Friday night comfort meal.
Love a midweek pasta? You will love my creamy garlic one pan orzo, lemon ricotta pasta and lemon chicken orzo.
This Caramelised Onion and Italian Sausage Orecchiette is the kind of pasta that feels like a warm hug at the end of a long day. It’s rich, creamy, and full of comforting flavours. The onions are slowly caramelised until sweet and jammy, then combined with garlic, crumbled Italian sausage and a splash of cream to create the most irresistible sauce.
It clings beautifully to the orecchiette which translates to little ears in Italian. If you can’t find orecchiette, don’t worry—other pasta shapes like farfalle or fusilli work just as well. Orecchiette is one of my favourite pasta shapes for this kind of dish. Its curved shape acts like a tiny bowl, catching the sauce and making every mouthful rich and satisfying.
Whether you need a quick midweek dinner or something cosy to kick off the weekend, this one ticks all the boxes. It’s simple, comforting and tastes like something you’d order at your favourite trattoria.
Ingredients
The key to this dish lies in simple, flavourful ingredients that come together to create something really special. Make sure you use good quality Italian pork sausages with fennel, garlic and plenty of seasoning!
- Italian pork sausages – These are the star of the show. Look for sausages made with high-quality pork, fennel seeds, garlic and a good balance of fat. I always make a special trip to my butcher for the best sausages when making this pasta. Don't get me wrong, I do love a cheap sausage but this is not the place for them!
- Caramelised onions – Slow-cooked until sweet and jammy, the onions create a beautiful base that gives the sauce depth and a natural sweetness. Use brown onions if you can!
- Orecchiette pasta – This little ear-shaped pasta is perfect for catching all the sauce and sausage crumbles, giving you the perfect bite every time. If you can't find this shape of pasta, farfalle or fusili will work beautifully as well!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Onion & Sausage Orecchiette
Step 1: Add the onions to the pan with olive oil and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are golden brown, season with salt and remove from the pan.
Step 2: Add the sausage meat and cook until the meat is golden and caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the sausage and garlic from the pan with a slotted spoon.
Step 3: Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook for one minute. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off as many of the delicious brown bits that were left at the bottom of the pan from when you fried the sausage. Add the cream to the pan, simmer, and cook for two minutes. Stir through the caramelised onions and baby spinach and cook until wilted.
Step 4: Add the pasta to the pan with your sauce and reduce the heat to low. Slowly incorporate the pasta water and parmesan until the pasta is smooth and glossy. You may not need all of the pasta water, so do this step slowly and in batches
FAQ's
Yes, you can substitute orecchiette with other short pasta shapes like rigatoni, fusilli, farfalle or shells. Just make sure to use a shape that holds the sauce well.
Yes, you can leave out the cream for a lighter version. It will still be rich thanks to the sausage and caramelised onions.
Use good quality Italian pork sausages with fennel and garlic (make that trip to the butcher for them!!) They add a lot of flavour to the sauce and make the dish taste like something you'd get at a traditional Italian trattoria.
how To Serve
To serve this Caramelised Onion and Italian Sausage Orecchiette, pile it high into warm bowls and finish with a generous grating of parmesan and a drizzle of good olive oil. A crisp green salad on the side works beautifully to balance the richness, and if you have some crusty bread or freshly made focaccia handy, it is perfect for mopping up every last bit of that creamy sauce. For an extra touch, crack some fresh black pepper over the top just before serving.
How To Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. When reheating, add a splash of water or cream to loosen the sauce and warm it gently on the stove or microwave until heated through. This pasta is best enjoyed fresh, but it still holds up beautifully the next day.
More Pasta Dishes To Love
If you make this Caramelised Onion and Italian Sausage Orecchiette, please tag me on Instagram, Tik Tok or Pinterest so I can see your wonderful creations!
If you have any questions or would like to leave a review, please do so here! I always love answering your food and recipe related questions and hearing your feedback on my recipes.
Orecchiette Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Brown onions, finely sliced, lengthways
- 3 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 lb Italian pork sausage, meat removed from casing
- 2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
- ½ cup White wine
- 1 cup Heavy cream
- ½ lb Orecchiette pasta
- 4 oz Baby spinach
- ½ cup Parmesan, grated
Instructions
- Caramelise onions: Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and immediately reduce the heat to low. Cook for 45 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the onions are golden brown, season with salt and remove from the pan.
- Cook sausage: Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sausage meat to the pan. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally or until the meat is golden and caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove the sausage and garlic from the pan with a slotted spoon.
- Sauce: Deglaze the pan with white wine and cook for one minute. Use a wooden spoon to scrape off as many of the delicious brown bits that were left at the bottom of the pan from when you fried the sausage. Add the cream to the pan, simmer, and cook for two minutes. Stir through the caramelised onions and baby spinach and cook until wilted.
- Cook pasta: While you prepare the sauce, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil. Cook the pasta al dente, draining it two minutes before the suggested cooking time for the pasta. Reserve up to one cup of pasta water for later.
- Combine & serve: Add the pasta to the pan with your sauce and reduce the heat to low. Slowly incorporate the pasta water and parmesan until the pasta is smooth and glossy. You may not need all of the pasta water, so do this step slowly and in batches. Taste the sauce for seasoning, but depending on which sausages you are using, you may not even need salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
This was so rich and creamy. Loved the caramelised onions!
So glad you liked it!
Yum!! What a delicious recipe. The whole family loved this one.
I enjoyed it! Creamy Orecchiette Pasta with Caramelised Onion and Italian Sausage is a delicious and easy-to-make pasta dish. To make the dish, simply cook the pasta, sauté the onion and sausage, and then combine the two with a creamy sauce. Serve hot and enjoy! Thank you very much for sharing! 🙂
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