Casarecce with Spicy Sausage Sauce and Spinach

Easy

Alright, pasta lovers! Welcome back to my 52 Weeks of Pasta project! This week, we're diving into the delightful world of Casarecce. Get ready to fall in love with its unique shape and incredible sauce-grabbing abilities.

What is Casarecce?

Casarecce (pronounced kah-sah-REH-cheh) is a short, twisted pasta shape that originates from Sicily, Italy. The name itself translates to "homemade" or "country-style," which hints at its rustic charm.

 Its distinctive S-shape, not easy to master at all, has rolled edges, creating a perfect little channel for sauces to cling to. It's a pasta that's both elegant yet hearty.

Where Casarecce Comes From

As mentioned, Casarecce hails from the beautiful island of Sicily. This region's rich culinary traditions have given us many beloved pasta shapes, and Casarecce is certainly one of them. Its design reflects the simple yet satisfying nature of Sicilian cuisine, as we’ve talked about before.

The Best Sauces for Casarecce

The beauty of Casarecce lies in its ability to hold onto a wide variety of sauces. Here are a few of my favorites.

• Pesto: The crevices of Casarecce are ideal for capturing the vibrant flavors of pesto. Whether it's a classic basil pesto or a Sicilian pistachio pesto, this combination is a match made in heaven.

• Hearty Ragù: A rich, slow-cooked meat ragù is another excellent choice. The pasta's sturdy shape can handle the weight of a thick, robust sauce. Being from Southern Italy, the ragú has chopped meat in it rather than chunks or strings of meat.  My Spicy Sausage Sauce is a great example of this.

• Seafood Sauces: Also, given its Sicilian origins, it's no surprise that Casarecce pairs wonderfully with seafood. Think shrimp, clams, or mussels in a light, flavorful sauce.

• Vegetable-Based Sauces: Casarecce also shines with simple vegetable sauces. A classic tomato sauce with roasted vegetables or a creamy sauce with seasonal greens will highlight the pasta's delightful texture.  You will see in my Casarecce with Spicy Sausage Sauce and Spinach recipe below the combination of ragu and seasonal greens.

• Cheesy Sauces: Due to the shape, cheeses such as ricotta and other creamy sauces hold very well to this pasta.

How to Shape Casarecce (If You're Feeling Adventurous):

Let me preface by saying that this shaped pasta can be bought dried in the grocery store.  I know most of you are probably saying, “Phew!”  

I’ve found it with the more specialty pastas and in Whole Foods.  You can also purchase it online, which also gives you the option of a gluten-free version, although it is more expensive.

I, however, was making it from scratch.  You roll small rectangles of pasta dough diagonally towards each other. Like all the shaped pastas I’ve made, it does take practice.

How I Served My Casarecce

I put this together in my Spicy Sausage Sauce and added Spinach.  It was delicious.  Here’s what I used (serves 4):

• ½ batch of my Spicy Sausage Sauce

• 14-16 oz of homemade Casarecci (or ½ pound of dried Casarecci)

• 6 oz fresh Baby Spinach

• ½ cup grated Parmesan

I heated the sauce in one pot and cooked the pasta in another. 

Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and added it to the pasta sauce, turning the heat to low.  I stirred the pasta until it was fully covered, then added the spinach, pushing it down into the pot and covering it for a few minutes.  Then I took the cover off and stirred the pasta and spinach together.  It is tough at first, but you just want to wilt the spinach, not really cook it.

Once the spinach was wilted, I took it off the heat and stirred in ½ cup of grated Parmesan.  Totally delicious!

See you next week!