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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I really appreciated the simplicity of this dish recognizing that there are sometimes that meals require a (seemingly) endless amount of ingredients but this was a nice change, really fast to put together and also hella economical. The only addition I made is adding a bit of fresh dill at the end. Thank you for this dish!
Just made it for lunch ! I added a little white wine to mine but I forgot the butter… It was still very good . I have dinner tonight!
I just came back to your site for probably the 6th time to get this recipe. I should probably have it memorized by now! My husband and I absolutely love it.
I made this recipe tonight, followed instructions exactly. I found the dish lacking in flavor. It was rather one dimensional. I would think that it would taste better if you added more vegetables (roasted red bell peppers, onions), and finished with fresh parsley. I was disappointed with this dish.
I agree! This dish was easy and looked so bright and fresh, but it was surprisingly bland. I’m going to try making it again with some onion and maybe another garlic clove, but I’m nervous it won’t be enough. There’s some additional spices missing but I can’t put my finger on it.
Made this recipe tonight and it was a hit. We all loved it!! The only thing is that my son thinks the pasta looks like bowler hats and not ears. Silly lol
I had to make a couple substitutions because I was missing the correct type of pasta and cheese (instead I used fusilli and cheddar) but it was still a huge hit! I also added mushrooms and a little bit of cream cheese to the sauce. Yum!
A winner! I made exactly as printed but added almost 2 cups of cheese!
Thank you!!!
I make this at least once a month . Easy , fast and delicious . i switch it up sometimes and use a Chicken Sausage Ring ( with cheese , parsley or any type ) cut into 1″ pieces and made following directions given .
I’m not a cook by any stretch of the imagination and was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to make and how delicious it was. My husband absolutely loved it and described it as robust, flavorful and “mmm.” I followed the directions exactly except for using bow tie pasta since I couldn’t find orecchiette. I think shell shaped pasta would have been better to hold the meat. Thanks, Jenn, for giving me a confidence boost in my cooking abilities!
How do you think topping this recipe with a small amount of marinara sauce served on the side would work?
Hi Laura, I don’t think it’s necessary, but if you serve it on the side, you can use as much or as little as you’d like.
Overall disappointed in the recipe. It was dry and lacking flavor even with all the sausage, oil, and butter. It makes a large amount but my family only ate it after I added Boursin to make it creamy. I won’t make again.