Weeknight Sausage & Broccoli Orecchiette

Weeknight Sausage & Broccoli Orecchiette

A quick 30-minute orecchiette pasta with Italian sausage, broccoli, garlic, butter, basil, and lemon zest — a silky, flavourful weeknight dinner inspired by Puglia.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Entree, Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Best Sauce for Orecchiette, Easy Dinner, Quick Pasta

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 15

Servings: people

Calories: 690kcal

Equipment

Large pot for pasta and broccoli
Large frying pan or sauté pan
Wooden spoon or spatula
Slotted spoon or spider strainer
Cheese grater

Ingredients

250 g orecchiette pasta
3 Italian sausages casings removed
1 head broccoli cut into small florets, stems thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves minced
½ tsp fennel seeds lightly crushed
¼ tsp chilli flakes optional
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
About ½ cup pasta cooking water or more if needed
Zest of 1 lemon
Handful fresh basil leaves torn
25 g Pecorino Romano or Parmesan grated
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add orecchiette and cook until just shy of al dente. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add broccoli florets and stems.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage meat, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until golden and cooked through (5–7 minutes).
Add remaining olive oil, garlic, fennel seeds, and chilli flakes. Cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pasta and broccoli straight into the pan with the sausage. Add about ½ cup of the pasta cooking water along with the butter. Toss until a silky sauce clings to the pasta, adding more pasta water if needed.
Off the heat, stir through lemon zest and torn basil. Season with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately with grated Pecorino Romano.

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