PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI
The PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI is a tasty and easy-to-make main course that pleases everyone, perfect for both lunch and dinner, hearty and appetizing, which will make you look good with little effort.
A recipe within everyone’s reach where the sweetness of the broccoli perfectly matches the savoriness of the sausage for a balanced sauce suitable to welcome your favorite pasta shape.
Easy and quick to make! In fact, to prepare the PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI, simply cut the broccoli into florets and blanch them in salted water for a few minutes. Meanwhile, sauté the sausage in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a clove of garlic and let it flavor. Once the florets are ready, simply pour them into the pan with the sausage, give it a quick stir, and the sauce is ready!
I chose Caserecce but not for any particular reason, I simply had them at home, but any pasta shape will do, even whole grain, like rigatoni, mezze maniche, orecchiette, or penne. If you can’t do without long pasta, that’s fine too; you’ll find a tip at the end of the notes on how to make the sauce even more welcoming for this shape.
Are you ready to try it? And don’t forget that with broccoli you can prepare many other tasty and delicious recipes to get even those who usually turn up their noses to eat this precious vegetable.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 453.88 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 31.53 (g) of which sugars 2.53 (g)
- Proteins 18.56 (g)
- Fat 28.10 (g) of which saturated 1.18 (g)of which unsaturated 0.41 (g)
- Fibers 3.77 (g)
- Sodium 1,230.09 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND SAUSAGE
- 11.3 oz pasta
- 10.6 oz broccoli
- 10.6 oz sausage
- 2.7 tbsp white wine
- 1 clove garlic
- herbs (thyme, rosemary 1 sprig each)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- 1 pinch black pepper (ground optional)
Tools
- Pot
- Pan
HOW TO PREPARE PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND SAUSAGE
Bring a pot of slightly salted water to a boil. Clean the Broccoli: detach the florets and divide them in half or into 4 if they are very large. When the water starts to boil, add the Broccoli, cover with the lid, and cook the vegetable for about 5-6 minutes.
Finely chop the herbs (rosemary and thyme). Remove the sausage casing by slicing it with a knife and gently pulling it away with your hands. Crumble the sausage with a fork. Put a drizzle of oil in a large pan, fry the garlic then add the crumbled sausage. After a minute, add the chopped herbs and deglaze with the white wine.
Remove the broccoli from the cooking water with a slotted spoon without discarding it (you will cook the pasta in it later). Add them to the pan with the sausage, stir and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. If you don’t like it, remove the garlic. Meanwhile, put the pot with the broccoli water back on the heat and bring it back to a boil.
As soon as it boils again, throw in the pasta and cook it following the times indicated on the package for the chosen shape. When it is cooked, drain it and transfer it directly into the sausage and broccoli sauce. Mix the pasta well with the sauce, sauté in the pan for a couple of minutes, and if necessary, add a little of the pasta cooking water. Serve hot sprinkled with ground black pepper or grated Parmesan cheese to taste.
STORAGE
The broccoli and sausage sauce can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge, sealed in an airtight container for 1 day. Once the pasta is seasoned, I recommend consuming it immediately. If you have leftovers, to reheat it, transfer it to a baking dish, add a sprinkle of grated Parmesan, a drizzle of oil, and gratin it in the oven for a few minutes.
NOTES AND TIPS
BROCCOLI: For a perfect result of Pasta with Broccoli and Sausage, make sure the broccoli is fresh and of a bright green color. Also, to preserve its nutrients, do not overcook it.
DO NOT DISCARD THE BROCCOLI WATER: When you have boiled the broccoli, do not discard the cooking water; you will use it to cook the pasta. This trick will save you time and water and will also flavor the pasta during cooking. If you decide to follow this suggestion, adjust the pot size and the amount of water considering that you will also have to cook the pasta in it.
SUBSTITUTIONS
PASTA: As a pasta shape, I chose rigatoni, but any type of pasta is fine, whether long or short doesn’t matter. You can choose both dry and fresh. If you opt for a long pasta shape, I suggest blending part of the broccoli to have a creamier sauce that better envelops the pasta.
BROCCOLI: The same recipe can also be adapted to other vegetables. Instead of broccoli, you can use cabbage, turnip greens, broccolini, or spinach.
GARLIC: If you don’t like garlic, you can substitute it with shallots or onion or simply remove it from the recipe and just sauté the sausage with extra virgin olive oil.
SAUSAGE: As an alternative to sausage, you can also use speck sticks, diced sweet or smoked pancetta, or guanciale.
RECIPE VARIATIONS OF PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND SAUSAGE
CREAMY ALTERNATIVE: To obtain a creamier sauce, I suggest blending 1/3 of the broccoli until it becomes creamy and then adding it to the pan with the sausage. This alternative is perfect if you choose a long pasta shape.
SUPER CREAMY PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND BROCCOLI: You can enrich your pasta with broccoli by adding a few tablespoons of cooking cream to make it even creamier.
STRINGY VERSION: If you love Parmigiano Reggiano, you can add a couple of tablespoons to the broccoli cream while it’s still in the pan, so it melts a little.
CRUNCHY ALTERNATIVE: For a crunchy note, we recommend finishing the dish with breadcrumbs. To do this, simply heat it in a pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then toss the breadcrumbs with a pinch of salt. Sprinkle the obtained breadcrumbs over the pasta with broccoli and sausage before serving.
GRATINATED PASTA WITH BROCCOLI AND SAUSAGE IN THE OVEN: In this case, the pasta should be cooked al dente and drained about 2-3 minutes before it’s done. Then you need to season it with sausage and broccoli (better if partially blended). Once mixed, put the pasta in an oven dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and gratin in the oven for a few minutes until it forms a nice crust.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What is the best pasta to use for SAUSAGE and BROCCOLI sauce?
For broccoli and sausage pasta, given that any type of pasta is fine, I recommend using short pasta that pairs better with this type of sauce, both dry and fresh. However, if you are a fan of long pasta, spaghetti or linguine will do. In this case, I suggest blending part of the broccoli so that the sauce combines better and envelops the pasta.
WHAT PROPERTIES DO BROCCOLI HAVE?
Broccoli is a green winter vegetable, rich in fiber and antioxidants. They also have an anti-cancer action, in addition to being good and versatile in the kitchen. They can indeed be used as a side dish, but they are also perfect for seasoning main courses or making casseroles and patties.
