This delicious and flavorful sausage broccolini pasta dish can be ready in just 30 minutes! It is one of our family's favorite pasta recipes because it is loaded with amazing Italian flavors and it is perfect for any age group.
This easy sausage and broccolini pasta is a dish I grew up eating and it is one of my favorite easy pasta recipes. Made with simple ingredients like Italian sausage, broccolini, orecchiette pasta, and simple Italian flavors, it makes such a great quick Italian dinner.
The little orecchiette pasta was always a favorite pasta to eat when we were kids and it was one of the reasons this dish was made so often. It was a great way to get kids to eat their vegetables by mixing it in with these little bites of pasta.
Now that I have my own family, I make this dish for them, carrying on the tradition 🙂 It is so easy to make and if you have 30 minutes, you can make it too.
What You Will Need
- Italian sausage: If you have made my Italian torta with sausage you know I like to use a mild or sweet sausage for this recipe since I serve it to kids. Spicy Italian sausage may be too much for them.
- Orecchiette pasta: This Italian pasta (little ears in Italian) is perfect for picking up the olive oil and bits of sausage. Kids love it too! I also use it in my zucchini soup!
- Broccolini: This is not the same as broccoli. It is a hybrid between broccoli rabe and Chinese broccoli. It has a light flavor of broccoli and it is great for those who don't like the strong flavor of broccoli.
- Fresh garlic
- Onion: You can also use shallots
- Parmesan cheese: Try to use the real stuff. You can also use pecorino Romano if you prefer.
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red pepper flakes: I love adding a touch of red pepper flakes to almost all my pasta recipes. It does not add heat just a little flavor.
- Kosher salt and pepper: To taste for flavor.
How to make sausage and broccolini pasta
- Brown Sausage: Heat a large skillet with olive oil and red pepper flakes then brown the Italian sausage until it just slightly caramelizes.
- Saute Onions and Garlic: Add the onions and slightly brown then cook the garlic.
- Saute Broccolini: You just want to cook the broccolini until it starts to turn a brighter green color and becomes tender.
- Cook Pasta: Cook the orecchiette until al dente. Make sure to save a little pasta water.
- Assemble: Add the cooked pasta to the sausage and broccolini and toss together to make sure everything is coated well.
How to make this your own
I make lots of substitutions with this recipe so I can use what I have on hand in my house. This is the Italian way! Here are some ideas on how you can switch it up:
- Use broccoli rabe or broccoli: These make great substitutes for the broccolini. My advice with the broccoli rabe is to only use this if people like a stronger flavor of broccoli. It can be bitter.
- Switch up the pasta: We like to use ziti, farfalle, and penne pasta if we do not have orecchiette. You can also use gluten-free pasta if that is your preference.
- Bake up the sausage first: If I am meal prepping, I like to bake Italian sausages in the oven and then refrigerate them until I am ready to make this and all I have to do is cook up the rest of the ingredients then slice up the sausage and add them to the pan.
Storing and Re-Heating
I LOVE this as leftovers and look forward to eating it the next day. Here is how to store it and re-heat it:
- Storing: Allow the pasta to come to room temperature then place it in any container with a lid that is tight fitting. Place in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Re-heating: To re-heat this sausage broccolini pasta, put it in a microwave-safe bowl and cover it with a slightly moistened paper towel or kitchen towel. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until heated all the way through. Make sure to give it a good stir before eating.
My Best Recipe Tips
- Caramelize the onions: It adds so much extra flavor!
- Caramelize the sausage: Crispy bits of sausage make this dish so good. By spending a couple of extra minutes cooking the sausage, it makes all the difference in taste.
- Brighten it up! Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end before serving to wake up the flavors of this pasta.
More easy pasta recipes
If you love this easy pasta with sausage and broccolini, you may also like these:
30 Minute Sausage Broccolini Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bunches broccolini rinsed and coarse chopped
- 1 lb Orecchiette pasta ziti or penne
- 4 Italian sausage links sweet, mild or hot.
- ½ cup Onion thin sliced
- 4 cloves Garlic minced
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup Olive oil
- ½ cup Pasta water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper or to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water on the stove to boil for the pasta.
- Pour olive oil into a saute pan over medium heat and add the red pepper flakes.¼ cup Olive oil, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Remove the casings from the sausages then add sausage to the pan and brown, making sure to break up the sausage.4 Italian sausage links
- Push sausage to one side of the pan then add the onions and saute for 5 minutes or until lightly browned.½ cup Onion
- Add your garlic and cook another 1 minutes4 cloves Garlic
- Once onions are cooked through and translucent, add the broccolini and cook until tender about 8-10 minutes.2 bunches broccolini
- Season with salt and pepper.1 teaspoon kosher salt and pepper
- Reduce heat to low.
- Cook the pasta until al dente according to the manufacturer's instructions.1 lb Orecchiette pasta
- When pasta is done reserve 1 cup of pasta water and then strain½ cup Pasta water
- Add pasta to the saute pan and mix pasta in with the broccolini mixture until combined adding reserved pasta water if it looks to dry.
- Plate your pasta and finish with a generous sprinkling of fresh parmesan cheese.½ cup Parmesan cheese
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