Recipes Nugget Markets Signature Recipes
Orecchiette with Broccoli Rabe & Italian Sausage
- Prep time
- 10 minutes PT10M
- Cook time
- 15 minutes PT15M
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty

Toss “little ear” pasta with flavorful Italian sausage, fresh broccoli rabe and Parmesan cheese to create this tasty Italian classic.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe
- 8 ounces orecchiette
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 8 ounces Fresh to Market Mild Italian Sausage
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
Bring 8 quarts of heavily salted water to boil. Blanch broccoli rabe in boiling water for 45-60 seconds, then remove (reserving blanching liquid) and shock in an ice water bath. When cool, chop broccoli rabe into ½-inch pieces.
Bring blanching liquid to a low boil, add pasta and cook according to directions on the package.
Heat sauté pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add sausage to the hot pan and break into bite-sized pieces. Cook until well-browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic and chili flakes, and shake the pan to brown the garlic. Add broccoli rabe and toss; the water clinging to the rabe will help deglaze the pan. If water evaporates too quickly, add ¼ cup of the blanching liquid to the pan to deglaze. Use a spoon to scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Strain pasta and immediately transfer into the sausage and broccoli rabe mixture. Toss with half the Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste, remove from heat and add remaining olive oil. Garnish with remaining Parmesan and serve.
Techniques used in this recipe:
- sear
- sear: to brown the surface of food in fat over high heat before finishing by another method (for example, braising) in order to add flavor.
- mince
- mince: to chop into very small pieces.
- deglaze
- deglaze: to use a liquid, such as wine, water, or stock, to dissolve food particles and/or caramelized drippings left in a pan after roasting or sauteing.
- chop (I)
- chop (I): to cut into pieces of roughly the same size.
Pair with
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Sangiovese
Responsible for the three great wines of Tuscany: Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Brunello di Montalcino, Sangiovese is Italy's most famous grape.
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Chianti
One of the most famous regions in Tuscany, Italy. The wines that bear the region's name are made from the Sangiovese grape. They commonly exhibit dried cherry flavors and can be very earthy and acidic.
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Barbera
Barbera is Piedmont's juiciest and honestly most delicious red wine. It is lower in tannins and higher in acid than other more dry red wines.