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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, which add depth and complexity to pasta dishes without the need for a lot of additional seasoning. Buy bulk sausage (sausage meat without the casing) for ease, or just squeeze the 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. Parmigiano Reggiano can be substituted, but its flavor is a bit milder.
How to Make Orecchiette with Sausage & Broccoli
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.
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.
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.
Enrich the sauce: Stir in the butter until melted, then simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
Toss it all together: Add the sausage and broccoli mixture to the drained pasta and toss well, along with half of the grated cheese.
Serve: Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl or individual bowls and top with the remaining grated cheese. Enjoy!
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
For the best texture, I recommend making this dish just before serving. However, you can cook the sausage and broccoli mixture a day ahead and refrigerate it in an airtight container. When you’re ready to eat, cook the orecchiette, gently reheat the sausage and broccoli mixture, and toss everything together as directed in the recipe.
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop with a splash of water or chicken broth to loosen the pasta and keep it from drying out.
Video Tutorial
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
- 1 cup 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.
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.
What to Serve with Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
This pasta is a complete meal on its own, but I love serving it with warm garlic bread to round out the meal. If you’re having company, add a simple arugula salad with lemon and Parmesan. And for dessert, keep the Italian theme going with tiramisu or affogato.
More Italian Pasta Dishes You’ll Love
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This was really good. The only change I made was to use half and half because that’s what I had in the fridge. Next time (and there will be a next time!), I’ll use hot Italian turkey sausage instead of pork and either reduce the amount of meat or double the broccoli – just for our personal preferences.
So flavorful! I know we will finish the leftovers. I used rigatoni because that’s what I had on hand. I’ll definitely make this again. It’s perfect for a weeknight because it’s easy and doesn’t take too long.
This was really tasty, I feel it could use a sauce, especially for reheating. This is a great make ahead to chow on during the week! Thank you for the tip saying to use water or oil when reheating.
Was a hit with the entire family, plus a few young girls. I’ll definitely put this into our rotation. Another winner!
This dish was exceptionally tasty! I used shell pasta as that is what I had on hand, and it was a hit with the whole family. We will certainly be putting it in the meal rotation.
My husband and I have been making variations of broccoli and spicy sausage pasta for years. Finally we found this recipe and it is perfection. Wonderful balance of flavors and textures. Delish!
We love this recipe! I make it on a regular basis. I love that is comes together quickly with just a few ingredients and it is predictably delicious. My adult daughter makes it for her family too, and the kids love it.
I will likely not use this recipe again. I raised an eyebrow when I saw butter added as an ingredient, so I decided to omit it. I should’ve questioned the chicken broth a lot more. It overpowers the dish, drawing away from the other flavors. Instead, I’d advise cooking the broccoli alongside the orecchiette until tender, then adding them both to the pan with a little bit of lefotver starchy pasta water. Then finishing with some grated parmesan.
Wish I saw this before I started 🫣 the broth is definitely not my favorite part I’ll have to try it your way next time!
This was super easy, quick and delish! Definitely putting in the rotation as a regular!
I made the grownup version of this recipe. Hot Italian sausage, broccoli rabe (thick stems blanched 1 minute, the upper portions in 2 inch pieces boiled 1 additional minute, then drained, cooled and gently squeezed of any additional water.) also a half tsp of anchovy paste added with the garlic. Extra minced garlic, yes. I added the broccoli rabe with the pasta (bow ties). It turned out hmm, hmm good!