Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Ingredients

• 1 lb orecchiette
• 1 lb Italian sausage (hot or sweet), casings removed
• 1 bunch broccoli rabe, trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan
• Reserved pasta water

Method

1. Cook: Cook orecchiette with broccoli rabe in the same pot (add rabe in last 3 min). Reserve pasta water.

2. Brown: Brown sausage in oil, breaking into pieces, 6 min. Add garlic and pepper flakes, 1 min.

3. Add: Add pasta, broccoli rabe, and 1/2 cup pasta water to the sausage. Toss vigorously.

4. Step: Off heat, add cheese. Toss. Adjust with more pasta water if needed.

What You're Practicing

• Cooking the broccoli rabe with the pasta is efficient and seasons the greens with the salty water.
• Orecchiette ('little ears') cup the sauce and sausage pieces — shape matters.
• The bitterness of broccoli rabe balances the richness of the sausage.