Creamy Orecchiette Pasta With Italian Sausage And Broccolini Recipes

ORECCHIETTE WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI

Steps:

• Add 4 quarts of water to a large pot, bring to a boil over medium-high heat then season with salt (I use 2 Tbsp).
• Add broccoli to boiling water and cook until tender, about 4 - 5 minutes. Using a spider, remove broccoli and transfer to a colander, while leaving water in pot.
• Run broccoli under cold water to stop cooking. Drain well. Chop broccoli into smaller pieces.
• Add pasta to water in pot and boil about 1 minutes shy of al dente, according to time listed on package. Reserve 1 1/2 cups pasta water.
• While pasta is boiling, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil into a 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
• Crumble sausage in small chunks into skillet and cook, breaking up and tossing occasionally, until cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add garlic during last 2 minutes of cooking the sausage.
• Pour in 1 cup of the pasta water into the sausage. Let it simmer for about a minute and reduce slightly. Add all dente pasta and cook while tossing, until tender, about 2 minutes.
• Drizzle in remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil, season with red pepper flakes to taste and toss.
• Sprinkle in parmesan, and toss to melt into sauce.
• Toss in broccoli. Season with salt as needed and pepper to taste.
• Loosen with more pasta water as needed. Drizzle servings with more olive oil if desired, serve with garnished with more parmesan.

ORECCHIETTE WITH BROCCOLINI AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Add the orecchiette and cook to al dente (take 3 minutes off of the time on the box; it'll finish cooking later). Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate, keeping the fat in the skillet. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the broccolini and cook until crisp-tender, about 7 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low. Add the pasta and sausage to the skillet along with the Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, a couple of pinches of crushed red pepper and a bunch of turns of black pepper. Stir in a few tablespoons of the pasta water and continue to cook, stirring, until glossy, adding more pasta water if needed. Taste and adjust the seasoning as desired. Sprinkle with more Parmesan before serving.