Rustic Italian Sausage and Cabbage Pasta

When the weather starts to cool down, I find myself craving dishes that feel substantial without requiring hours at the stove. This recipe was born out of a half-head of green cabbage sitting in my crisper drawer and a pack of mild Italian sausage I needed to use before the weekend. It is one of those meals that seems far too simple to taste as good as it does, but there is magic in the way cabbage breaks down until it becomes silky and slightly sweet.

I prefer using orecchiette for this because the little ear-shaped pasta cups hold onto the bits of browned sausage and the wilted cabbage leaves perfectly. If you can only find rigatoni or fusilli, those will work just fine. Don't rush the caramelization of the cabbage. It needs to get golden brown in the sausage fat to develop that deep, savory base that ties everything together. A generous dusting of sharp Pecorino Romano at the end provides the salty finish that cuts through the richness of the meat.