Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe, a classic pasta dish from Puglia in Italy, combines orecchiette — little ear-shaped pasta — with spicy sautéed broccoli rabe and savory Italian turkey sausage. A pinch of red pepper flakes adds an extra kick. Make it tonight to switch up your dinner routine!
Even if you’ve never been to Puglia — the ‘heel’ of Italy’s boot — you might be familiar with orecchiette. The smallish saucer-shaped pasta’s name translates to “little ears,” and in my opinion it’s one of the most fun shapes. The little saucers make perfect vessels for catching sauce, a feature that makes them especially satisfying to eat.
In Bari, the capital of Puglia, there is a street in the city’s Old Town, where you’ll find women seated at tables, entertaining tourists as they turn out hand-shaped orecchiettes by the thousands, which you can buy in packages. But you don’t have to travel across the ocean to get orecchiette; these days, the popular shape is available in the dry pasta aisle of most supermarkets.
A classic pairing, and one of the tastiest ways to serve it, is orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. Similar to the flavors in Italian Wedding Soup, it’s a marriage of complementary ingredients—each bringing out the best in the other.
Broccoli rabe is a hearty green that thrives in cool temperatures. Like radicchio, it has a pleasingly bitter flavor that is complimented by the richness of spicy sausage. Sometimes it has what looks like small, thin broccoli florets, and other times it’s just the greens. Either will work in this recipe.
In this version, I’ve lightened things up a bit by substituting turkey sausage for the traditional pork, backing up the flavor with white wine, chile flakes, and garlic. The resulting pasta dish makes a great cold-weather meal. For years, it’s been one of my go-to weeknight dinners. I’m betting it will become one of yours, too!
Table of Contents
What is in Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe?
The ingredient list for this hearty pasta is short, but it is big on flavor. Here’s what you need to make it.
- Extra-virgin olive oil: The quality of olive oil can really make a difference in your cooking. If you need some help choosing a good variety, try our Italian Nocellara.
- Italian turkey sausages: With less saturated fat and fewer calories than pork sausage, turkey sausage is a healthful alternative. Using Italian turkey sausage means you get the same robust flavors, but in a lighter package. You’ll need one pound for this recipe.
- Dry white wine: Just a splash added to the browned sausage really boosts the flavor of the sauce.
- Broccoli rabe: This appealingly bitter green is also known as rapini or cima di rapa. It has large, slightly ruffled leaves and small florets, and its assertive flavor stands up well to garlic and hot pepper. You’ll need two bunches — about 1 pound — for this recipe.
- Garlic and crushed red pepper: Broccoli rabe loves garlic and spice, so be generous. I add 3 to 4 cloves of garlic and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes when I make this dish.
- Orecchiette pasta: This small, saucer-shaped pasta is thick and satisfying, substantial enough to stand up to the assertiveness of spicy broccoli rabe and Italian sausage.
- Pecorino Romano cheese: Freshly grated zesty Pecorino cheese is optional, but it adds a glorious finishing touch to this pasta dish.
How to Make Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
This hearty pasta dish requires only a few steps and comes together in about an hour. Here’s how to make it.
Prep and Cook the Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
- Prep the broccoli rabe. Thoroughly rinse, but do not dry, a pound of broccoli rabe and trim off any tough bottom stems. Chop the tender stalks, leaves, and florets into large pieces and set aside.
- Brown the sausage. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large deep skillet or sauté pan and set over medium heat. Scatter 1 pound Italian turkey sausage (3 to 4 links), removed from their casing and crumbled, into the pan and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes, until nicely browned but still tender.
- Deglaze the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and 1/4 cup white wine. Scrape up any brown bits stuck to the pan. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until most of the wine has evaporated. Turn off the heat and scrape the sausage into a bowl. Set aside.
- Make a garlicky oil. Set the pan back on medium-low heat and add 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add 3 to 4 crushed and peeled garlic cloves and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, just until it begins to release its fragrance.
- Wilt the broccoli rabe. Add the broccoli rabe by the handful—as much as will fit. Cover the pan and let the broccoli rabe wilt for a few minutes before adding more. Once you have added all the broccoli rabe, sprinkle in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon fine salt (or 1 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt). Cover partially and cook, using tongs to toss the broccoli rabe from time to time, until it has lost its bright green color and is completely tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
Cook the Pasta, Finish the Sauce
- Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil. Fill a large pot 2/3 full and set it over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt.
- Finish the sauce: When the broccoli rabe is completely tender, pour in the remaining 1/4 cup wine and simmer briefly. Scrape the cooked sausage back into the pan and toss with the broccoli rabe. Cook just until heated through. Turn off the heat and remove the garlic cloves (or leave them in). Cover to keep warm.
- Cook the pasta: Stir 1 pound dry orecchiette into the boiling salted water. Cook until barely al dente—about a minute less than the recommended cooking time on the pasta package. Reserve about 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Toss: Transfer the pasta to the pan with the broccoli rabe and sausage and turn the heat to medium-low. Pour in 1/2 cup of the pasta water and cook, using a large serving spoon or a spatula to toss until the pasta is al dente and coated in the sauce. Add more reserved water if necessary to finish cooking the orecchiette.
- Serve. Divide the dressed pasta among individual bowls. Sprinkle a spoonful of grated Pecorino cheese on top, if you like, and serve.
Swaps and Substitutions
Orecchiette and broccoli rabe are much easier to find in supermarkets than they were just a few years ago. Still, if you’re having a hard time, here are some good stand-ins.
- Use a different pasta. Can’t find orecchiette? Try cavatelli instead! Cavatelli are short, sturdy curls of pasta. Like orecchiette they are from Puglia, and they go just as well with broccoli rabe and sausage. Other shapes that work well in this preparation are cavatappi, penne, and rigatoni.
- Try different greens. If you’re not able to find broccoli rabe, or if you’re not a fan of its pungent flavor, substitute the same amount of broccolini, or even standard broccoli. Just cut the stems and florets into big bite-sized pieces and reduce the cooking time by about 10 minutes—you want the greens to be tender but not overcooked and mushy.
- Skip the alcohol. Not into cooking with wine? Substitute the same amount of chicken stock or vegetable broth and carry on.
Ways to Make it Your Own
As much as I love the traditional version, it can be fun to play around with this recipe. Here are some delicious ways to switch things up.
- Omit the sausages. You’ll be surprised how hearty and flavorful this pasta is even without the crumbled sausage, especially if you add a shower of freshly grated pecorino cheese right before serving. Between the greens, the garlic, the peperoncino, and the cheese, there is more than enough flavor to go around.
- Add chickpeas. The earthy taste and creamy texture of chickpeas complement the assertive greens. Toss cooked chickpeas with the greens towards the end of cooking until heated through. Then toss with the cooked pasta.
- Try it with tomato. Add a couple of good squirts of tomato paste to the sausage as it browns to give the sauce an extra layer of flavor. Stir in the tomato paste and a splash of water right before you add the wine. The extra liquid will help dilute the tomato paste so that it evenly coats the sausage.
What to Serve with Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
This pasta dish is pretty much a one-dish meal; it contains protein (the sausages), vegetables (the broccoli rabe) and carbs (the pasta).
Still, I sometimes serve it with a side or light dessert. For a side dish, try this bright Citrus Salad with Honey and Vanilla, or one of my favorite go-to’s, this Lemon Parmesan Salad. If you’re more of a dessert person, try our refreshing two-ingredient Lemon Sorbet.
More Classic Pasta Dishes:
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Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli rabe
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound (3 to 4 links) Italian turkey sausage, removed from their casing and picked apart into small pieces
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, lightly crushed and peeled
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- Fine sea salt
- 1 pound dry orecchiette pasta
- Freshly grated Pecorino Romano (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the broccoli rabe. Thoroughly rinse the broccoli and trim off any tough bottom stems. Coarsely chop the tender stalks, leaves, and florets into large pieces and set aside.
- Brown the sausage. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil into a large deep skillet or sauté pan and set over medium heat. Scatter the sausage into the pan and cook, stirring often, for 10 to 12 minutes, until nicely browned but still tender.
- Deglaze the pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and pour in half of the white wine. Scrape up any brown bits stuck to the pan. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until most of the wine is absorbed. Turn off the heat and scrape the sausages into a bowl. Set aside.
- Make a garlicky oil. Set the pan back on medium-low heat and add 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, pressing with a wooden spoon to release its flavor.
- Wilt the broccoli. Add the broccoli rabe by the handful—as much as will fit. Cover the pan and let the broccoli wilt for a couple of minutes before adding more. Once you have added all the broccoli, sprinkle in 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon fine salt (or 1 1/4 teaspoons of kosher salt). Cover partially and cook at a gentle simmer, using tongs to toss the broccoli from time to time until the broccoli has lost its bright green color and is completely tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, put a pot of water on to boil. Fill a large pot 2/3 full and set it over medium-high heat. When it comes to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt.
- Finish the sauce: When the broccoli rabe is completely tender, pour in the remaining wine and simmer briefly. Scrape the cooked sausage back into the pan and toss with the broccoli rabe. Cook just until heated through. Turn off the heat and remove the garlic cloves (or leave them in). Cover to keep warm.
- Cook the pasta: Stir the orecchiette into the boiling salted water. Cook until barely al dente—about a minute less than the recommended cooking time on the pasta package. Reserve about 1 cup cooking water, then drain.
- Toss: Transfer the pasta to the pan with the broccoli rabe and sausage and turn the heat to medium-low. Pour in 1/2 cup of the pasta water and cook, using a large serving spoon or a spatula to toss until the pasta is al dente and coated in the sauce. Add more reserved water if necessary to finish cooking the orecchiette.
- Serve. Divide the dressed pasta among individual bowls. Sprinkle a spoonful of Pecorino cheese on top, if you like, and serve.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil used in this recipe
- Use a different pasta. Can’t find orecchiette? Try cavatelli instead! Cavatelli are short, sturdy curls of pasta. Like orecchiette they are from Puglia, and they go just as well with broccoli rabe and sausage. Other shapes that work well in this preparation are cavatappi, penne, and rigatoni.
- Skip the alcohol. Not into cooking with wine? Substitute the same amount of chicken or vegetable broth.
- Try different greens. If you’re not able to find broccoli rabe, or if you’re not a fan of its pungent flavor, substitute the same amount of broccolini, or even standard broccoli. Just cut the stems and florets into big bite-sized pieces and reduce the cooking time by about 10 minutes—you want the greens to be tender but not overcooked and mushy.
Nutrition
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Tastes exactly like I would get at our neighborhood trattoria. Love the simple ingredients.