The flavor combination in this Italian Sausage pasta with broccoli dish is simply stunning. The easy ingredients of pasta, broccoli, crumbled Italian sausage, shredded romano cheese, and red chili pepper flakes come together beautifully for a delicious dish. If you enjoy this recipe, you might enjoy our Sausage Rigatoni Dinner, Baked Ziti, Pepperoni Calzone, and Pasta Soup.
I love the flavors in this Italian Sausage with Broccoli dish.
The sauce comprised of chicken broth, butter and olive oil is so light and refreshing, helping to highlight the sausage, broccoli and romano cheese flavors.
Ingredients Needed:
- Orecchiette Pasta
- Olive Oil
- Mild, Sweet or spicy Italian Sausage
- Garlic cloves, minced
- Chicken Broth
- Broccoli Florets
- Sea Salt
- Red pepper flakes
- Unsalted Butter
- Grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
Tips for this Sausage pasta dish:
- Make sure to use the Pecorino Romano Cheese. This is a hard cheese, so it will not melt immediately into pasta, leaving the grated cheese texture in the dish, working well with the other ingredients. The already grated Romano cheese is usually in a grocery store's main cheese section, so is easy to find.
- Make sure to not over cook the broccoli. It tastes better when the broccoli is still crisp.
- Use fresh broccoli, as frozen broccoli would bring too much water to the dish, drowning out the other flavors.
- Do not be afraid of the red pepper flakes. I am usually hesitant to add these, since my kids do not enjoy very spicy dishes, but the ¼ teaspoon of flakes really adds a nice kick to this dish and does NOT make it to hot and spicy.
I think what I like most about this dish is the sauce. The chicken broth, olive oil and butter are so delicious and light together, and such a nice change from marinara or another type of tomato based sauce.
My family gobbled this up quickly, which is why its earned a spot on our blog. Definitely will be making again soon.
Hope you enjoy it too!
Recipe
Italian Sausage Pasta with Broccoli
The flavor combination in this Italian Sausage pasta with broccoli dish is simply stunning. The easy ingredients of pasta, broccoli, crumbled Italian sausage, shredded romano cheese, and red chili pepper flakes come together beautifully for a delicious dish.
Ingredients
- 1 lb Orecchiete pasta
- 5 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 lb mild, sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lb broccoli florets
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
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While pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Crumble sausage into skillet and cook until browned for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the minced garlic, cooking for 1 more minute.
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Once garlic has cooked for a minute, add the remaining 4 tbsp olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping bottom of pan to release brown bits, until the broccoli florest are tender and crisp for about 5 minutes.
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Stir in the butter, until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
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Drain the pasta well, and place back into the pasta pot. Add the sausage broccoli mixture, with half of the romano cheese and toss to blend. Serve pasta with a sprinkling of the remaining romano cheese. Enjoy!
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