March 17, 2025
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Searching for a traditional Italian pasta dish that’s full of daring flavors and simple to whip up on a busy weeknight? This Broccoli Rabe Sausage Pasta is the proper mix of hearty and comforting, with a wealthy, creamy sauce and simply the best contact of spice. The marginally bitter broccoli rabe pairs fantastically with candy Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, and pecorino romano cheese for a dish that’s each satisfying and scrumptious.
What’s Broccoli Rabe Anyway?
Broccoli rabe (often known as rapini) is a bitter inexperienced vegetable that has a barely bitter, earthy taste that pairs nicely with Italian delicacies. It’s generally utilized in recipes like pasta dishes, sautés, and sandwiches. If the bitterness is simply too robust to your style, blanching it in boiling water earlier than cooking helps mellow it out.
Components Wanted for Broccoli Rabe Sausage Pasta
Right here’s every part you want for this recipe!
- Broccoli rabe – This bitter inexperienced provides a slight chew that balances the richness of the sauce. You may as well use broccolini, child broccoli, or common broccoli.
- Orecchiette pasta – This pasta form catches all of the bits of sausage and cheese completely. Different small pastas like shells work, too.
- Olive oil – A should for genuine Italian delicacies.
- Candy Italian sausage – Or swap it for scorching Italian sausage, turkey sausage, rooster sausage, or plant-based sausage.
- Garlic – Provides a wealthy, savory taste to the sauce.
- Crimson pepper flakes – Optionally available, however an effective way so as to add some warmth.
- Rooster broth – Helps create a flavorful sauce whereas deglazing the pan.
- Solar-dried tomatoes – Their sweetness balances the bitter broccoli rabe.
- Heavy cream – Makes the sauce additional wealthy and creamy.
- Pecorino Romano – A pointy, salty cheese that takes this dish to the subsequent degree.
Variations for Broccoli Rabe Sausage Pasta
- Swap the orecchiette pasta for complete wheat pasta for additional fiber.
- Use vegan sausage and plant-based heavy cream for a vegan pasta recipe.
- Add a splash of white wine as a substitute of rooster broth for additional depth.
- Attempt parmigiano reggiano as a substitute of pecorino romano.
- For a lighter model, swap heavy cream for pasta cooking water and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- When you don’t love broccoli rabe, strive mustard greens, Chinese language kale, or common broccoli as a substitute.
Make Broccoli Rabe Sausage Pasta
For full recipe particulars, together with ingredient measurements, see the printable recipe card on the backside of this publish. Listed here are my step-by-step instructions for making Broccoli Rabe Sausage Pasta:
1. Put together the Broccoli Rabe
Wash and trim (on an angle) simply the ends of the stems of the broccoli rabe. When you’ve got thicker stalks, slice them in half lengthwise so all your broccoli are comparable in measurement.
Professional Tip: You’ll be able to reduce them into smaller chew sized items if desired, however I just like the presentation of longer items.
Convey a big pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, then add broccoli rabe to a steam basket, cut back warmth to a simmer, place a lid on the pot, and steam for 4-5 minutes or till tender.
Utilizing a slotted spoon or tongs, take away broccoli rabe and place in a bowl of ice water to cease the cooking course of. Put aside.
2. Cook dinner the Pasta
Utilizing identical pot, improve warmth and produce water again to a rolling boil. Cook dinner pasta in keeping with pasta instructions for al dente. Drain pasta and put aside.
3. Brown the Sausage
Add olive oil to a big heated skillet. Over medium-high warmth, prepare dinner Italian Sausage, breaking apart with a picket spoon to create small crumbles.
4. Make the Sauce
Scale back warmth to medium-low and add minced garlic, cooking till fra grant, being cautious to not burn. Add purple pepper flakes (optionally available).
Add rooster broth and scrape backside of the pan to deglaze. Improve warmth and permit rooster broth to thicken a bit, stirring occassionally.
5. Mix The whole lot
Scale back warmth to low. Stir in solar dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and 1/4 cup of the pecorino romano cheese.
Add cooked broccoli rabe and pasta to the skillet stirring to mix and reheat the broccoli rabe and pasta.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 pecorino romano cheese and serve heat.
What to Serve with an Italian Sausage Pasta
- Garlic bread – A crispy, buttery facet to take in the sauce.
- Easy inexperienced salad – Loosen up the meal with contemporary greens and a lemon French dressing.
- Roasted greens – Attempt asparagus, zucchini, or bell peppers for additional shade and vitamins.
- Antipasto platter – Serve with olives, cheeses, and cured meats for an Italian-inspired meal.
Storage + Make Forward Instructions
Retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days. To reheat, heat in a separate pan over medium warmth with a splash of olive oil or rooster broth to refresh the sauce. Keep away from microwaving for too lengthy, as it may dry out the pasta.
Can I make this forward? You’ll be able to prepare dinner the sausage meat and prep the broccoli rabe recipe forward of time, however wait to prepare dinner the pasta till simply earlier than serving to maintain it contemporary.
Can I freeze this recipe? Sure! Let it cool utterly, then retailer in an hermetic container for as much as 3 months. Reheat with a splash of rooster broth to deliver the sauce again to life.
Extra Pasta Recipes to Attempt!
This Italian sausage pasta is a flavorful, satisfying meal that’s easy to make however feels fancy! Maintain it in your rotation for a scrumptious, go-to Italian dinner that by no means disappoints! The printable recipe card is under. Have an exquisite day, pals!
When you make this recipe, I’d actually admire it when you would give it a star ranking and go away your evaluation within the feedback! When you’ve got an image of your completed dish, publish it on Instagram utilizing the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Broccoli Rabe Sausage Pasta Recipe
Broccoli Rabe Sausage Pasta is a straightforward, flavorful dish that brings collectively orecchiette pasta, candy Italian sausage, and barely bitter broccoli rabe in a creamy sauce.
Directions
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Wash and trim (on an angle) simply the ends of the stems of the broccoli rabe*. When you’ve got thicker stalks, slice them in half lengthwise so all your broccoli are comparable in measurement.
-
Convey a big pot of water to a boil. Salt generously, then add broccoli rabe to a steam basket, cut back warmth to a simmer, place a lid on the pot, and steam for 4-5 minutes or till tender.
-
Utilizing a slotted spoon or tongs, take away broccoli rabe and place in a bowl of ice water. Put aside.
-
Utilizing identical pot, improve warmth and produce water again to a rolling boil. Cook dinner pasta in keeping with pasta instructions for al dente.
-
Drain pasta and put aside.
-
Add olive oil to a big heated skillet. Over medium-high warmth, prepare dinner Italian Sausage, breaking apart with a picket spoon to create small crumbles.
-
Scale back warmth to medium-low and add minced garlic, cooking till aromatic, being cautious to not burn. Add purple pepper flakes (optionally available),
-
Add rooster broth and scrape backside of the pan to deglaze. Improve warmth and permit rooster broth to thicken a bit, stirring occassionally.
-
Scale back warmth to low. Stir in solar dried tomatoes, heavy cream, and 1/4 cup of the pecorino romano cheese.
-
Add cooked broccoli rabe and pasta to the skillet stirring to mix and reheat the broccoli rabe and pasta.
-
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 pecorino romano cheese and serve heat.
Notes
*You’ll be able to reduce them into smaller chew sized items if desired, however I just like the presentation of longer items.
Vitamin
Energy: 876kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 33g | Fats: 59g | Saturated Fats: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 7g | Monounsaturated Fats: 26g | Ldl cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 1112mg | Potassium: 913mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2484IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 280mg | Iron: 5mg