Orecchiette with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

Orecchiette with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe

7
Points®
Total Time
35 min
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
This recipe showcases one of our favorite time-saving stove- top tricks: cooking pasta and veggies together in the same bubbling pot. Here, the pleasing bitterness of chopped broccoli rabe lends balance to the savory flavors of Italian sausage and sharp cheese, while tomatoes come through with brightness and tang. With its concave shape, orecchiette pasta catches the full range of flavors in every bite.

Ingredients

Table salt

½ tsp, plus more for salting water

Uncooked orecchiette pasta

8 oz

Broccoli rabe

1¼ pound(s), (about 1 large bunch), trimmed and very coarsely chopped

Uncooked sweet Italian turkey sausage

12 oz

Garlic

2 clove(s), chopped

Crushed red pepper flakes

½ tsp

Grape tomatoes

1 cup(s), halved

White wine vinegar

2 Tbsp

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

6 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for 4 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until the pasta is al dente and the greens are just tender, about 5 minutes more. Drain the pasta and broccoli rabe, reserving ¼ cup of the cooking water.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large nonstick skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes, vinegar, salt, and reserved pasta cooking water. Cook, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the tomatoes begin to soften, about 1 minute.
  3. Add the pasta and broccoli rabe to the skillet and stir to combine. Divide the pasta among 6 bowls. Sprinkle with the cheese.
  4. Per serving: 1 generous cup pasta and 1 tbsp cheese