Did you know that this national icon was fluent in French, Spanish, and Italian? It’s pretty impressive. Well, speaking of Italian (no pun intended), you can think of her and her iconic sophisticated life as you whip us this Jackie Kennedy Pasta. The bouncy pasta and spicy sausage bring a taste of Italy, with a hint of the Mediterranean thanks to the harissa spiciness and the selection of juicy veggies. It’s well-rounded in the most wonderful of ways… kind of like her. Explore something delicious and new with Jackie Kennedy Pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 (12-ounce) package orecchiette or small shell pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 12 ounces spicy Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 tablespoons spicy harissa, plus more, to taste
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more, to taste
- 1 cup zucchini, very thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped, plus more, to taste, whole leaves, for garnish
- 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Directions
Step 1 –In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta until almost al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions instruct.
Step 2 –Reserve 3/4 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Set both aside.
Step 3 –In a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until it is shimmering.
Step 4 –Add the sausage in 1-inch clumps to the shimmering oil and cook, undisturbed, until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
Step 5 –Cook the sausage, while crumbling with a wooden spoon, until it is almost cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Step 6 –Reserve 1 tablespoon of the cooking grease and drain the rest. Transfer the cooked sausage into a bowl.
Step 7 –In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of the harissa and cook, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds.
Step 8 –Add the wine to the harissa and stir, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
Step 9 –Cook the harissa mixture, while stirring, until it has slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.
Step 10 –Stir the tomatoes, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the cooked pasta, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water into the harissa mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until a creamy sauce forms and coats the pasta, about 3 minutes. Gradually stir in the remaining pasta water and the reserved cooking grease, as needed, to reach the desired consistency.
Step 11 –Transfer the pasta mixture from the heat.
Step 12 –Scatter the sliced zucchini and 1/4 cup of the chopped mint over the pasta mixture.
Step 13 –Drizzle the pasta mixture with the remaining oil and toss to combine.
Step 14 –Let the pasta mixture stand until the zucchini has slightly wilted, about 2 minutes.
Step 15 –Taste the pasta mixture and season with the extra salt and the extra harissa, as needed.
Step 16 –Sprinkle the pasta mixture with the feta.
Step 17 –Serve the pasta mixture garnished with the extra mint leaves.
