The trofie with broccoli and sausage is one of those dishes that needs no introduction! Fragrant and enveloping, perfect for those who love authentic flavors.
This is an easy and quick main course to prepare. Boil the broccoli, brown the sausage in a pan, and sauté together with the pasta. Few steps and lots of flavors!
The success of this dish lies in the combination of two ingredients that are perfect together! The broccoli, with their sweetness, and the sausage with its rustic and savory taste.
A classic pairing that never disappoints and that I love to use in other preparations, like my broccoli and sausage risotto or the savory pie with sausage and potatoes, always very appreciated by my readers.
This is also a versatile preparation: you can serve it as a one-dish meal, a Sunday course and adapt it into a vegetarian or vegan version.
Trofie is a pasta shape that I particularly love. Their shape captures the sauces uniquely, turning every bite into a burst of flavor!
After preparing them in other variations such as with chicory speck and porcini or in a vegetarian baked version, I offer you this simple yet very tasty recipe!
If you prefer a creamier dish, I suggest you take a look at my trofie with pesto, and if you love more intense flavors then you cannot miss my bucatini with potato cream and sausage.
But now let’s get back to today’s recipe! A dish that conquers with its simplicity!
✨ I recommend reading the article to the end: you will find a section dedicated to the most common questions about this preparation, with many useful tips on executing the recipe. There are also suggestions for choosing the perfect wine pairing and some delicious variations to bring a different, always special version to the table every time 🍷🍝🌿
But first, here are some of my most appreciated Collections ❤️🧡
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 320 g trofie
- 300 g broccoli (net weight after discarding waste)
- 300 g sausages (fresh pork)
- A few tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic (if you like)
- grated Parmesan cheese
- to taste black pepper (only if you like)
Tools
- Saucepan
- Frying pan
- Cutting board
- Grater
- Colander
- Ladle
Steps
Wash the broccoli and cut into florets. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the broccoli for about 8 minutes, until tender.
Drain them with a slotted spoon and keep the cooking water. In a large pan, heat a drizzle of oil with the garlic clove.
Add the sausage, removed from the casing and crumbled by hand. Brown over high heat until well browned.
Add the broccoli to the pan with the sausage and let them flavor, mashing some with a fork to make the trofie creamier.
Cook the pasta in the same broccoli water, following the package instructions. You can substitute trofie with orecchiette, fusilli, penne, or any preferred shape.
Drain them al dente, keeping a ladle of cooking water aside.
Sauté the trofie in the pan with broccoli and sausage, adding a little cooking water if needed for better blending.
Sprinkle with black pepper and a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Serve your steaming, flavorful dish immediately!
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VARIATIONS:
With cream: for a creamier result, add a tablespoon of cooking cream during the mixing.
Anchovies: sauté an anchovy fillet with the garlic to give the dish a stronger taste.
Light version: replace the sausage with turkey or chicken breast cubes.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
🥦Can I use frozen broccoli?
Yes, they are perfectly fine. Cook them directly in salted boiling water without thawing, then proceed with the recipe.
🍖What type of sausage is best to use?
I recommend a fresh pork sausage, sweet or slightly flavored with fennel. I would avoid those that are too spicy as they might overpower the delicate flavor of the broccoli.
Can I make the recipe lighter?
Yes! You can reduce the amount of sausage and increase the broccoli or replace part of the sausage with sautéed vegetables.
🥦 How long should the broccoli cook?
The broccoli should be cooked in boiling water for about 8-10 minutes, until they are tender but not mushy. If you want to maintain a vibrant green color, you can plunge them into cold water immediately after cooking.
👩🍳How to store leftover broccoli?
If you have leftover cooked broccoli, let them cool well and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
You can use them the next day to make an omelet, a vegetable cream, or a gratin side dish.🍖 I don’t have sausage, what can I use instead?
You can replace it with:
Speck or sweet bacon, for a smoky flavor.
Tuna or anchovy fillets, if you prefer a sea version.
Tofu or chickpeas, for a vegetarian or vegan version.
Cooked ham cubes for a lighter but tasty alternative.🥛 Can cream be added?
If you love a creamier and more enveloping dish, you can mix in some cooking cream (one tablespoon per person might be enough).
⏲️ Can the recipe be prepared in advance?
You can cook broccoli and sausage in advance and store the sauce in the fridge for 1 day, well covered. When serving, just heat it in a pan and toss with freshly cooked pasta.
