Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage

 

On our recent trip to Italy, I saw orecchiette with broccoli rabe and sausage on several menus so I decided to try it and I loved it.  Because I loved it so much, I decided to make it when we got home.  The broccoli rabe and sausage are great together, and orecchiette (little ears) is just a fun pasta shape that I don’t use that often.  It’s a delicious dish, and as a bonus, it’s quick and easy to make!

You’ll need:  1 lb. orecchiette pasta

3 T Extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch of broccoli rabe (also called rapini)

1 lb. Italian sausage (mild, spicy or sweet, depending on your taste)

1 t red chili flakes (optional)

1 c freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese

salt and pepper to taste

First, cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  Save about a cup of the pasta water.  Orecchiette can sometimes be tricky to find, but Barilla has it in their “special collection”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next, heat the olive oil in a large skillet and cook the sausage, breaking it up as you go.  Cook until no longer pink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broccoli rabe.  Do you know that it isn’t related to broccoli?  It’s closer to a turnip, oddly enough.  It is a bitter green with little florets that look like broccoli.   If you can’t find it in the grocery store, look for “rapini”.  If you’ve never eaten broccoli rabe, you definitely should try it.  You can certainly substitute spinach or kale for the broccoli rabe if you find that you don’t like it.

 

Now chop the broccoli rabe and toss it in with the sausage.  Add salt and pepper and the chili flakes if you’re using those.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When the broccoli rabe is wilted and cooked (two to three minutes), add the reserved pasta water and use your wooden spoon to scrape up any yummy bits of sausage that are stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Now add the cooked pasta and toss it around, making sure to coat it thoroughly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Remove from the heat, add the grated cheese and a drizzle of olive oil and mix until it seems creamy.  Add more cheese or olive oil if it doesn’t seem creamy enough.

Serve with extra red chili flakes if you’d like.  And extra cheese.  Because cheese.