Serves 4 (entree), 6 as a first course or side
1 pound Orecchiette “little ears” (or pasta of your choice- Rigatoni, Mezza Rigatoni, and Penne also work well) Note: you may use gluten free pasta (Barilla makes tasty whole wheat as well as pasta based from corn).
1 bunch broccoli rabe, remove bottom of stems, chop into 1 inch pieces
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian fennel sausage (remove meat from casing)
1/2 large yellow onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
bunch fresh basil leaves
red pepper flakes (optional)
reserve 1 cup pasta water
1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated (additional to taste)
Heat a large pot of water to boil, generously salt, and cook pasta to al dente (usually a minute less thaninstructions on package), set aside.
At the same time, bring a smaller pot to a boil, add in the broccoli rabe and cook several minutes until tender. Remove and place into an ice bath for 1-2 minutes to retain vibrant green color. Remove from ice bath and allow to dry on paper towels.
Meanwhile, heat sauté pan with the olive oil and brown the sausage. Add in the onion and garlic and allow to sauté further until onion is translucent and garlic is lightly browned. Add the broccoli rabe, basil, salt and pepper to taste, optional red pepper flakes, and continue to sauté over medium heat. Add in the pasta, cheese, and a splash of the pasta water and saute for 1-2 minutes until ingredients are amalgamated (don’t add all the pasta water at first, add a splash and allow ingredients to simmer and come together, if the sauce is too loose/thin, add a touch more cheese, if too thick, add a touch more water). Serve immediately with additional grated cheese, if desired.
Note: for a variation, you may wish to add 1-2 cups of tomato sauce to the sauté pan when you add the broccoli rabe.
