Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli from Puglia 🥦

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: chicken sausage

💰Cheaper: pork sausage

Chicken sausage is lower in fat while still providing flavor.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast offers a cheesy flavor without dairy.

olive oil

🥗Healthier: avocado oil

💰Cheaper: canola oil

Canola oil is often less expensive and has a neutral flavor.

fresh parsley

🥗Healthier: spinach

💰Cheaper: dried parsley

Dried parsley is more affordable and has a longer shelf life.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil to a large sauté pan and turn the heat to high.

Prepare the sausage by removing the meat from its casing, using either method.

For 4 servings, use about 400 grams or 6 sausage links.

Once the oil is shimmering, add the sausages to the pan and flatten them slightly for browning.

Set a large pot of water to boil and add a good quantity of salt once boiling.

Drizzle in another tbsp of olive oil if the sausages are low in fat and flip them to brown both sides.

Break up the sausages with a cooking utensil once browned.

Trim the cut ends of the broccoli and slice the stems into small pieces around 1 cm wide, leaving larger pieces for the tops.

Add the broccoli to the pan with the sausages and toss them together to cook down.

Grate in 2 cloves of garlic once the broccoli turns bright green.

Add 1/4 cup of pinot grigio to deglaze the pan, adding more if needed.

Add a little salted pasta water to help steam the broccoli.

Drop in fresh orecchiette pasta, cooking for 2-3 minutes until they float to the top.

Add the cooked orecchiette directly to the pan with the sausages and broccoli, along with some pasta water.

Stir the mixture and add more pasta water until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.

Finish with 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, stirring to thicken the sauce.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level: