This Italian pasta recipe is simply made by combining Orecchiette with Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe. It comes together in 30 minutes for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
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Introduction
Orecchiette and cavatelli are iconic pasta shapes originating from Southern Italy.
Both have small cavities that are great for holding a variety of sauces made with chunky ingredients.
In Italian, orecchiette literally means “little ears.” Originating from the Puglia region of Italy, this is one of the best sauce-catching pasta shapes.
This Orecchiette Pasta Recipe with Italian sausage and broccoli rabe is a variation of Puglia’s signature pasta dish. The rapini is first blanched and then stir-fried with spicy sausage to create a silky, chunky sauce held perfectly in the pasta cavity.
Mise en place
The first thing we will do is bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. While we wait, let’s start chopping and prepping some of the ingredients.
Prep the garlic: Crush about 4-6 garlic cloves with the side of your knife. Remove the papery skins and cut off the tips. Please give them a coarse chop and set them aside. Feel free to adjust this amount based on your personal preference.
Prep the french shallot: Remove the papery skin, cut off the tips and mince. Set aside.
Prep the broccoli rabe: Trim the stems of 2 bunches to remove as much of the tough stalk as possible, anywhere from 1-2 inches. Then, submerge it in a large bowl of cold water. Remove any discolored leaves and debris. Lift with a slotted spoon and place in a colander. Give them one final rinse under running water. For more information on this vegetable, consult this broccoli rabe recipe.
Grate the cheeses: To create a silky sauce, we also need to grate about ¼ cup of both Pecorino Romano cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese.
Let’s make orecchiette with broccoli rabe sausage
At this time, the water should be at a rolling boil. Add the broccoli rabe. Return to a boil and cook for 3 minutes or until the stalks are tender.
Remove them from the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place them in a colander to drain. Gently squeeze out excess moisture. Coarsely chop into 1-inch bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
In the same large pot of boiling water, slowly add 1 pound of orecchiette pasta and stir continuously for one minute. Cook according to package directions until almost al dente.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the entire pan.
Add the minced shallots and sauté until beginning to soften about 2-3 minutes. Stir often.
Add ½ pound of crumbled Italian sausage (spicy or sweet). With a wooden spoon, break up the meat into small pieces, about ¼- ½ inch pieces, until lightly browned. This should take about 5 minutes. If necessary, adjust the heat.
Add the chopped garlic and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or to taste) and sauté for 30-45 seconds.
Add ¼ cup of white wine and deglaze the pan.
Lower heat to medium-low and add the cooked chopped broccoli rabe. Combine properly together. If too dry, add a little of the pasta water. Adjust seasonings.
At this time, the pasta should be almost al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water. Drain and add to the saucepan. Combine gently together.
Turn the heat off. Add a ladle of hot pasta water and the grated cheese and toss to combine.
Toss and shake the pan back and forth for 1-2 minutes until a sauce forms.
If necessary, adjust the consistency of the sauce with the rest of the cooking liquid.
Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
Plate and garnish with more grated cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Placing a lid on a pot makes the water boil faster.
- Use high-quality ingredients for the best results.
- Cook the pasta in the same water as the broccoli rabe.
- Use an 11 or 12-inch skillet (or larger!)
- Adjust the total amount of fresh garlic to your preference. Do not be tempted to use garlic powder.
- Undercook the pasta slightly as it continues cooking in the pan.
- Orecchiette can be replaced with any short pasta such as cavatelli, small pasta shells, etc.
- For a lighter-tasting meal, use chicken or turkey sausage.
Preventing orecchiette from sticking together
When these pasta shells stick together, they are almost impossible to separate. This makes it harder for them to cook properly and prevents them from catching all the sauce.
To prevent this, make sure you use a huge pot of salted water and slowly add the pasta when it is at a rolling boil. Maintain the rolling boil throughout the cooking time. Also, stir continuously for the first minute. Pay particular attention to the bottom of the pot. If this fails, consider buying another brand of pasta, preferably one with ridges.
FAQ
Yes, eliminate the sausage and replace it with any legume such as chickpeas, beans or lentils to transform this Italian pasta dish into a high-fiber, healthy and complete vegetarian meal. Stir-fried tofu is another great alternative.
If you have difficulty finding this vegetable, replace it with mustard or collard greens. Kale is another great option.
Replace it with broccolini, swiss chard, broccoli or spinach if you dislike its signature bitter taste.
There are a few different ways you can slightly remove the bitter edge out of broccoli rabe. One way is to blanch it in boiling water for a few minutes before cooking it. This will help to remove some of the bitter compounds from the vegetable. You can also sauté the broccoli rabe in olive oil over medium-high heat until it’s wilted and tender, which should take 5-7 minutes. Finally, acidity can also help balance the bitterness in broccoli rabe. Adding lemon juice or vinegar to the final rapini dish can brighten the flavors and make it palatable.
More Italian pasta recipes
If you are looking for more pasta recipes that are simple and quick to make, try this spaghetti pasta with veggies. Another family favorite is this meatless broccoli rabe pasta recipe.
Are you a pasta lover? Be sure to visit the Pasta Category for more options.
Recipe origins
My mom often made fresh pasta recipes with my dad’s homemade sausages during my youth. Combining it with pasta and broccoli was a dish my whole family loved.
Inspired by my mom’s recipe and my love of broccoli rabe, I have been making variations of this pasta recipe for decades.
You can do the same!
Use the ingredients you have in your pantry and fridge and have fun!
Enjoy your meal!
Buon appetito!
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Maria
★★★★★ If you have made this orecchiette recipe, I would love to hear about it in the comments below and be sure to rate the recipe!
Recipe
Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Ingredients
- 2 bunches broccoli rabe approximately 1½-2 pounds, trimmed and washed
- 1 pound orecchiette pasta 1 package (454 grams)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- ½ pound Italian sausage spicy or sweet, casings removed, crumbled
- 1 french shallot finely chopped
- 4-6 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or to taste
- ¼ cup white wine
- reserved pasta water
- ¼ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese grated
- ¼ cup Pecorino Romano Cheese grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated cheese to garnish top optional
Instructions
- Over high heat, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Add the broccoli rabe. Return to a boil and cook for an additional 3 minutes or until the stalks are tender.
- With a slotted spoon, remove from boiling water and place in a colander to drain. Gently squeeze out excess moisture. Coarsely chop into 1-inch bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- In the same large pot of boiling water, slowly add 1 pound of orecchiette pasta and stir continuously for one minute. Cook according to package directions until almost al dente.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a very large saucepan, over medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the entire pan.
- Add the chopped shallots and saute until beginning to soften about 2-3 minutes. Stir often.
- Add ½ pound of crumbled Italian sausage (spicy or sweet). With a wooden spoon, break up the meat into small pieces, about ¼- ½ inch pieces, until lightly browned. This should take about 5 minutes. If necessary, adjust the heat.
- Add the chopped garlic and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or to taste) and sauté for 30-45 seconds.
- Add the white wine and deglaze the pan.
- Lower heat to medium-low and add the cooked chopped broccoli rabe. Combine properly together. If too dry, add a little of the pasta water. Adjust seasonings.
- At this time, the pasta should be almost al dente. Reserve a cup of the pasta water. Drain and add to the saucepan. Combine gently together.
- Turn the heat off. Add a little of the hot pasta water and the grated cheese and toss to combine.
- Toss and shake the pan back and forth for 1-2 minutes, until a sauce forms.
- If necessary, adjust the consistency of the sauce with the rest of the cooking liquid.
- Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
- Plate and garnish with more grated cheese, if desired.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Placing a lid on a pot makes the water boil faster.
- Use high-quality ingredients for the best results.
- Cook the pasta in the same water as the broccoli rabe.
- Use an 11 or 12-inch skillet (or larger!)
- Adjust the total amount of fresh garlic to your preference. Do not be tempted to use garlic powder.
- Undercook the pasta slightly as it continues cooking in the pan.
- Orecchiette can be replaced with any short pasta such as cavatelli, small pasta shells, etc.
- For a lighter tasting meal, use chicken or turkey sausage.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on November 1, 2020, and republished on August 30, 2022 with updated content and a video. Thanks for sharing!
Maggie M
Great recipe! The broccoli rabe’s bitterness and the savoriness from the sausage complement nicely. The parmesan and pasta water bring it all together well. I’ve already made it twice and will be making it again!
Maria
I am so thrilled to read this! Thanks for sharing Maggie!
Mariya Brewer
This is my absolute favorite pasta and I added some toasted breadcrumbs before serving which added to an already exceptional dish.
Maria
Absolutely delicious Mariya! Thanks so much for sharing!
Phyllis
Not sure why site won’t let me rate, but I’m giving this 10 stars! Stumbled on this looking for an Italian recipe that uses orecchiette and – WOW! This actually will make it to my favorite recipes list, which actually is rather short, and I’ve been sifting through thousands of recipes for some time now. Used kale instead of rapini, and still awesome. Many thanks!
Maria
Thanks so much for sharing Phyllis! So thrilled to hear you enjoyed this! Thanks for the heads up… I will look into it.
Denise Bingham
I hate when ppl rate a recipe but change the ingredients. However, I live in a rural area and due to COVID ingredients are sometimes hard to find. I was unable to find the broccoli rabe so I subsituted with what I had on hand which was baby spinach and arugula. It was delicious! Few ingredients with so much flavor! Thank you for sharing.
Maria
My pleasure Denise. Using spinach and arugula are great substitutions… thrilled to read you enjoyed this pasta dish. Thanks for sharing.
Debra Barone
I am looking forward to making your version, I love this dish, it’s one of my favorites!
Maria
How wonderful Debra! Enjoy!
Val
I made this pasta dish this weekend and it was delicious! Thanks for the recipe Maria.
Maria
So thrilled to read this! Thanks Val!