Amy Hunter Shaw Recipe ⟶ Dandelion Pesto and Sausage Pasta

I enjoy making this on Friday nights while drinking a great Chianti. You can substitute arugula or broccoli rabe for the dandelion greens, if desired. You can substitute pistachios for the pine nuts, if desired.

Ingredients

• 2 bunches dandelion greens, stems and center ribs discarded and leaves cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 pound orecchiette pasta
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• ½ cup pine nuts
• ½ cup mascarpone cheese
• ¼ cup olive oil
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• ½ pound bulk Italian sausage

Cooking Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; add dandelion greens and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving water in the pot.
2. Return dandelion cooking water to a boil; add orecchiette and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
3. Process 3/4 of the dandelion greens in a food processor until finely chopped. Add Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, mascarpone cheese, and olive oil; process until pesto is smooth. Season pesto with salt and black pepper.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir sausage in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir orecchiette, dandelion pesto, reserved pasta water, and remaining dandelion greens into sausage; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese.

Nutrition Facts

• calories705.4
• carbohydrateContent74.7 g
• cholesterolContent47 mg
• fatContent36 g
• fiberContent9.6 g
• proteinContent27.2 g
• saturatedFatContent11.3 g
• sodiumContent642.5 mg
• sugarContent3.3 g