Orecchiette with Rapini and Sausage
You'll love this dish featuring pasta, broccoli rabe, and Italian sausage in a garlicky sauce!
Servings: 4 -5
Calories: 873kcal
Ingredients
- 1 bunch rapini (about 13 ounces)
- ½ pound orecchiette pasta (or penne, cavatelli, etc.)
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage (remove casings or buy ground sausage)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup starchy cooking water from pasta (2 standard ladles)
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Grate the Pecorino if needed. Peel and slice three cloves of garlic into ⅛-inch thick pieces and set them aside.
- Fill a 6-quart pasta pot ⅔ full with hot water. Add one teaspoon of salt, cover and heat it on high to bring it to a boil. (Note that you'll use the same pot of boiling water to first blanche the rapini, then cook the pasta.)
- While the pot is heating up, clean the rapini. Rinse it and cut off and discard the bottom four inches of thick stems. Cut the remaining rapini into two-inch pieces.
- When the water is boiling, add the rapini and boil it for two minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the blanched broccoli rabe to a salad spinner or colander with a pan underneath it. (Keep the pot of water boiling.)
- Add the orecchiette to the pot of boiling water and stir briefly. Cook the pasta according to the al dente instructions on the package, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick. (You can work on the next step of the recipe while it's cooking.) When the pasta has a couple of minutes left to cook, scoop out one cup (two standard ladles) of the cooking water and place it in a bowl. After the pasta is done and you've saved some of the cooking water, drain the pasta in a colander in the sink. The cooked pasta can sit in the drainer until you're finished making the sausage and rapini.
- While the pasta is cooking, use kitchen scissors to remove the casing from the links of Italian sausage. (Wash your hands well afterward.) Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the uncased sausage to the pan and break it up with a wooden or plastic spoon. Stir the sausage around, and when it's nearly browned, add the garlic and stir to combine. Let this cook while you drain the rapini.
- Drain the blanched rapini well, ideally using a salad spinner. Add the drained rapini to the pan with the sausage. Stir in ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook the rapini with the sausage for five minutes.
- Lower the heat under the pan and add the cooked, drained pasta to the pan of sausage and rapini. Pour in the reserved cup of starchy cooking water and stir to combine. Add the Pecorino and cream and stir to combine. Turn off the heat and serve with extra grated Pecorino or Parmesan, if desired.
- Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
Notes
Rapini is also known as "broccoli rabe." If you can't find it, you can substitute broccolini.
Nutrition
Calories: 873kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 1297mg | Potassium: 560mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1760IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 241mg | Iron: 4mg
