Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
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Packed with flavor and easy to make, this orecchiette with sausage and broccoli is a longtime favorite—the whole family gobbles it up, veggies and all!
Sometimes it seems impossible to make a meal that pleases the whole family. What one child happily eats, the other one suddenly isn’t “in the mood for.” But every once in a while, I come across a recipe that everyone loves, like this orecchiette pasta dish adapted from Lidia’s Italian Table by Lidia Bastianich. Not only is it quick and easy to make—25 minutes tops—but the whole family devours it, broccoli and all.
“My whole family loves this (even my 5 year old who doesn’t typically like pasta). It’s so nice to have an easy go-to meal for the middle of the week that my small children get excited about and so does my husband. Thank you!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Orecchiette With Sausage & Broccoli
- Orecchiette is named for its shape, which resembles a small ear (the Italian word orecchiette means small ear). If you can’t find it, it’s fine to substitute another pasta, like farfalle or fusilli.
- Italian sausage is a great ingredient to have on hand for weeknight dinners. Not only is it quick and easy to cook, but it’s also flavored with a variety of aromatics, herbs and spices, such as garlic and fennel, which add depth and complexity to pasta dishes without the need for a lot of additional seasoning. This makes it an easy and convenient way to add flavor to pasta dishes, such as baked ziti and lasagna. Buy bulk sausage, or sausage meat without the casing, if possible (it’s often easy to find around holiday season as it’s used in stuffing recipes). Otherwise, just squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing.
- Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty, and pungent Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk. It’s readily available in grated form in the cheese section of most large supermarkets but if you can’t find it, it’s fine to substitute Parmigiano Reggiano.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil—it should taste like the sea. Add the orecchiette and cook until al dente.
Step 2: Brown the sausage. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Step 3: Cook the broccoli. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil along with the broccoli, chicken broth, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
Step 4: Enrich the sauce. Stir in the butter until melted, then simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
Step 5: Toss it all together. Add the sausage and broccoli mixture to the drained pasta and toss well, along with half of the grated cheese.
Step 6: Serve. Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl or individual bowls and top with the remaining grated cheese. Enjoy!
Video Tutorial
More Italian Pasta Dishes You’ll Love
Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
Ingredients
- 16 oz orecchiette
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 lb sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz chicken broth
- 1 lb broccoli florets
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and cook according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release the flavorful brown bits, until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
- Drain the pasta well and place back in the pasta pot. Add the sausage and broccoli mixture, along with half of the cheese, and toss to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls and pass the remaining grated cheese at the table.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Perfect simple recipe. My husband and I AND our 3 young children loved this. Will be adding it to our list of keepers.
This has been a go-to for me. Easy and delish. When I make for friends they always ask for the recipe!
Fantastic. The only changes I made were adding a chopped shallot in with the sausage and then deglazing the pot with white wine before adding the chicken stock & broccoli. Thank you!
Oh, my. Had broccoli in fridge and decided to make this last night. Sooo good. I’d made it several years ago using this recipe and remember it was good. Not sure why I waited so long to make it again! Will keep this in the regular rotation now!
Thanks for another outstanding, yet simple, recipe
This was easy and delicious! It makes a lot and is great leftover too!
Made this tonight with penne as a sub and it did not disappoint. The flavours are just perfect and the recipe was simple yet felt gourmet. Will make again for sure!
This was amazing! I almost passed it by due to the simplicity of the ingredients but the flavors meld together so well. Highly recommended for a quality weeknight dinner.
Can u use parmigiano Reggiano cheese instead? And I have no red pepper flakes. That okay.
yes and yes 🙂
Thanks and thanks. Great recipe, having the leftovers tonight. Just going to add some peas as I was 4 ounces short of broccoli. Thanks for the good recipe. Will be using this again.
Thank you for listing this recipe. I have a culinary background yet I can get stuck in a rut making the same tried and true recipes that need no instructions.
I followed your version very closely until I realized I had let the saltiness build up. Personally, I like a liberal amount of salt but my wife not so much. So to correct it at the end I added some half and half to blend the Romano and butter elements like an Alfredo. It was very satisfying and the chewiness of the orecchiette and the way it scooped up the sauce was synergistic.
I made another Lydia Bastianich ragout of wild mushrooms which was rich with flavor. This had a lot of harmonious notes and balance. Well done.
Hi Jen, thanks for another wonderful recipe! I love the ‘pace’ this recipe takes to make – some chopping and pre-prep is required, but once you get going it feels relaxed and unrushed. Nice to spend time in the kitchen that way! Served it with a spinach salad and used gluten-free penne since we need to be GF. Have made this several times and it’s always a hit. One note, I don’t take the sausage meat out of the casings. I just cut them into coins and they cook up like little meatballs. Not sure if that changes the flavour, but my family loves them like that! Going to try Ginger, garlic and chili shrimp tonight 🙂
Another great dish. Thank you Jenn. We will be adding this to our list of go to recipes. I sent a picture of my finished dish and then your link to my three children living out of state. My one son responded “Dude that pasta dish is right up my alley”. He’s going to love it !
Ha! Glad it was a hit. 🙂
Hi Jen, I can’t wait to make this recipe but I would like to use broccoli rabe. Would you please give me suggestions how to prepare the broccoli rabe to avoid bitterness? Thank you for all your great recipes. I’ve shared your site with many friends and have given your cookbook as gifts.
Best, Danette
Hi Danette, Glad you like the recipes (and thanks for your support with the cookbook)! This article by Cook’s Illustrated has some great tips for how to tame the bitterness of broccoli rabe. Hope you find it useful!