Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe Pasta

This pasta dish is an Italian classic, so I stick fairly true to the original with some slight twists for extra flavor and texture. The addition of lemon juice and zest helps waken up the dish, while the toasted seasoned pine nuts and bread crumbs add additional crunch. This orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe pasta is fairly easy to make and a real crowd pleaser, making it a hit for a weeknight dinner or for when you have company over.

While the orecchiette and the sausage are delicious on their own, the vegetables really help balance out the dish. I realize that broccoli rabe (also known as rapini) is sometimes hard to find, so you can easily substitute for broccolini or just regular broccoli. Sometimes I actually prefer broccolini as I find it less bitter – not to mention easier to find in the grocery stores – so sometimes will do a mix of broccolini and broccoli rabe. To remove any bitterness, you should blanch the greens in a pot of boiling water (see instructions below); you can soak them in bowl of water to rinse prior to blanching

Also note that I suggest that you buy spicy Italian sausage for the most flavor, but you can easily sub with regular Italian sausage. You can often buy this uncased at the butcher’s counter in your local supermarket. If not, you can buy the sausage in casing form, but just be sure to remove the casings before cooking.

As always, the full printable recipe is below. But you can follow my step-by-step instructions for this orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe, if desired:

Prepping the ingredients

Preparing the bread crumb topping: I would highly recommend that you not skip this crunch topping as it really elevates the dish by providing great texture to the orecchiette. To prepare it, just melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small pan over medium-low heat. Add about ½ cup each of bread crumbs (you can use store bought or homemade) and pine nuts (optional, but adds a nice nuttiness). Stir well to coat in the butter. Season lightly with salt. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the crumbs turn golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to let cool; set aside.

Blanch the broccoli rabe: While slightly more work than sauteeing the broccoli rabe directly, I find this is an important part of the recipe as blanching the greens removes any bitterness. Blanching just involves cooking the vegetables briefly in salted water and then “shocking” them in cold water. To do so — bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add a generous amount of salt and the broccoli rabe. Cook the greens for about 1-2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool. Keep the cooking water in the pot, and bring it back to a boil. Once cooled, chop up the cooked broccoli rabe into small pieces (about 1/3-1/2 inch long).

Cooking the sausage and pasta

In a large skillet or sauté pan, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add one pound Italian sausage and cook, breaking it up into pieces with the back of a spoon, until it starts to brown, about 5-6 minutes. Add 4 cloves minced garlic and ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depending on your level of tolerance). Sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, when the cooking water from the broccoli is boiling again, add 1 lb of dried orecchiette and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 8-10 minutes.

Add the broccoli to the sausage mixture, along with about 5 ounces of arugula (optional). Stir to combine, cooking until the broccoli rabe is hot and the arugula is wilted, about 2-3 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

Serving the orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe

When the pasta is ready, scoop out and reserve about 1.5 cups of the cooking water in a measuring cup. Then drain the orecchiette fully. Add the drained orecchiette to the sausage and greens mixture, along with a couple tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Mix in ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano grated cheese and stir well. Pour in more cooking water, if needed.

Remove the pasta from the heat. Stir in lemon juice and zest, and adjust seasonings as necessary.

Serve the orecchiette with sausage and broccoli pasta warm with a spoonful of the toasted bread crumbs and pine nuts mixture, and some extra parmesan cheese on top.