Orecchiette with Broccolini and Italian Sausage
- Difficulty: Easy
- Servings: 4 to 6
- Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes
- Hands-On Time: 25 minutes
Nutritional Information Per Serving (Based on 6 servings)
- Calories: 522
- Total Fat: 29 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Carbohydrates: 34 g
- Dietary Fiber: 3 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 78 mg
- Sodium: 1086 mg
Ingredients
- Sea salt to taste
- 8 ounces orecchiette pasta
- 1 pound ground pork sausage (casings removed)
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 8 ounces broccolini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish
- Zest and juice from 1 fresh lemon
- Red pepper flakes, crushed
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the orecchiette and cook until just shy of al dentereduce the box cooking time by 3 minutes, allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the skillet. Reserve 1/2 cup of starchy pasta water before draining in a colander.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground sausage, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, and cook for approximately 7 minutes until deeply browned. Transfer to a clean plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the skillet. Add the minced garlic and saut for 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the broccolini and cook for about 7 minutes until tender-crisp. Reduce heat to medium-low, then return the pasta and sausage to the skillet. Add the shredded Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and several grinds of black pepper. Pour in a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water and stir continuously until the dish becomes glossy and creamy, adding more pasta water as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference. Serve garnished with extra Parmesan.
