Pork Sausage Orecchiette Bolognese
with Zucchini & Parmesan
- Wheat
- Milk
A big bowl of pasta never fails to satisfy—it’s quick, carby, comforting, and our go-to no matter the weather. When you add bites of Italian pork sausage, tender zucchini ribbons, and Parmesan to the equation, you’ve reached another level of deliciousness entirely. Ready to enjoy bite after bite of twirly spaghetti cloaked in this flavor-boosted Bolognese? We thought so.
Ingredients
14 ounce
Marinara Sauce
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
1 unit
Zucchini
1 clove
Garlic
6 ounce
Orecchiette Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
9 ounce
Italian Pork Sausage
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Peel and mince garlic. Trim and halve zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ¼-inch-thick half-moons.
• Once water is boiling, add orecchiette to pot. Cook until al dente, 13-15 minutes. • Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, heat a large drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a plate; wipe out pan. • Once zucchini is done, remove sausage* from casing; discard casing. • Heat a drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Stir in garlic and Tuscan Heat Spice; cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
• Add marinara to pan with sausage mixture, then reduce heat to medium. Simmer until flavors meld and sauce is slightly reduced, 3-4 minutes.
• Add drained orecchiette, ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water (½ cup for 4 servings), and 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) to pan with sauce. Toss to thoroughly combine. • Stir in zucchini. Taste and season with salt and pepper. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is thoroughly coated in sauce.
• Divide pasta between bowls; top with Parmesan and serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the rich, savory taste; some found it a bit spicy, while others wanted more seasoning 🌶️.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, though a few struggled with removing sausage from casings.
- Suggestions: Consider adding more zucchini, garlic, and cheese; try cooking pasta for less time to avoid sticking.
- Portions: Generous servings, often with enough for leftovers; some felt there was too much pasta.
- Texture: Several found the orecchiette pasta gummy or sticky; zucchini added a nice crunch when not overcooked.
Reviews from our home cooks
Omg! So delicious. I did change things up just a bit. I cooked the sausage first - no additional oil needed as it was plenty greasy enough - then used the grease from the sausage to stir fry the zucchini. I also added a large clove of garlic I had on hand. The one that came with meal was the tiniest clove of garlic I have ever seen I think. Anyway, this has convinced me I am going to use sausage as my pasta meat more often!
Very tasty. Seasoning the zucchini with salt and pepper is a must to add flavor or it's too bland. You need to add this step to the recipe. Everything should always be seasoned. Cooking 101. Please add this for your novice chefs out there.
Great one overall but I cooked the zucchini way less so it still had a crunch. Next time I would add some onions and mushrooms. I left off some pasta to make sure it was a bit more on the sauce side.
A lot of food for 4 people. I swear it was for 6-8 but so so good. Loved the sausage and zucchini together.
The taste was good, but I was surprised that there weren't 2 zucchinis for the 4 person serving. Just one tiny one. It just seemed like for the price, and since it was a single dish with no sides, there should at least be plenty of zucchini. But nothing was wrong with the taste of it. Very good pork sausage!
It would be helpful if you updated the cooking instructions for the orecchiette. I have made this pasta previously and overcooked it following the card instructions so I knew not to repeat my mistake. The bag the pasta comes in instructs you to cook it for less time than the instruction card.
My daughter and I cooked this together. She loves pasta and she really likes this recipe. She even ate the zucchini. Great meal and super easy to make!!
Popular with all of us. We made it with 1/2 the sausage (accidentally) and it was great. We added the second package of sausage to a cheese and vegetarian meal. That was delicious too.
Nothing too special with regards to flavor, but comfort food nonetheless if you like Italian! Easy recipe and generous portions. I suggest waiting to cook the pasta until the sauce is almost done, because mine overcooked while it sat (after draining) waiting to be mixed with sauce. If you like cheese as much as I do, the packet they send isn't enough :)
This recipe is fantastic. It's so easy and the sausage is so tasty. In addition, my 3-year-old actually likes it and voluntarily eats the protein, so that's always a plus!
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