Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli

by Jessica

Happy 2013!

I finally got Ina Garten’s new cookbook! It took a while, especially because I pre-ordered it on Amazon. Turns out, shipping during Hurricane Sandy got kinda iffy, and it just never showed up. Thanks to Amazon’s amazing customer service (once I figured out where to find it), they overnighted me a new copy! Yay! After looking through the recipes, and weeding out the very unkosher ones, I decided that a one-pot pasta dish was the perfect first recipe to try. Why? Because we love pasta! Because Richie loves pasta. Because It reheats easily on a weeknight. And because sausage is something I don’t cook much, so I thought I’d give it a try.

Thanks to the meat guys at Pomegranate, I was able to get FRESH sausage on a Sunday afternoon. And by fresh, I mean I asked if they had any, and they had me wait for about 15 minutes while they finished making it. So yeah, that’s how I know it’s quality stuff.

And, thanks to Trader Joe’s for having awesomely cheap orecchiette just when I wanted to buy some! Seriously, this pasta was on sale just when I thought I’d just make it with any pasta I had at home. Of course, you can do that. But I love the shape of these ears and how they stick together (does anyone else like sticky pasta?).

The original recipe called for broccoli rabe, but I actually like regular broccoli better. It’s less bitter. It would be great with both. Also, I used beef sausage, but feel free to use lamb or chicken sausage if you want. You can do all sweet or all spicy, though I love the combo. Anything would work great here.


Orecchhiette with Broccoli and Sausage, adapted from Ina Garten:

Serves 6

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 pound sweet sausage
  • 1/2 pound spicy sausage
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup dry red wine or vegetable stock
  • 1 can tomato paste
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pound dried orecchiette pasta
  • 1 bunch broccoli

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Prick the sausages with a fork and place them on a sheet pan. Roast for 15-20 minutes, turning once, until cooked though.

3. Peel the sausage and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices and set aside.

4. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in your Dutch oven (or other heavy pot).

5. Add the sausage slices and saute for 5 minutes, until they brown.

6. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.

7. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the wine/broth, tomato paste, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper and them them simmer while you prepare the broccoli and pasta.

8. Cook the pasta according to the package directions, putting on a timer.

9. While the pasta is cooking, wash and cut the broccoli into florets.

10. When there are 3 minutes left on the timer for the pasta, add the broccoli and continue cooking.

11. Drain in a colander, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid.

12. Add the pasta and broccoli to the pot with the sausage and tomato.

13. Taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. If the pasta is dry, add some reserved cooking liquid.