This dish is made without cream, so it’s a lighter recipe that’s perfect for the heat. Summer pasta may not be your first thought, but it’s worth a shot! This orecchiette with broccoli and sausage is delish.
We’re all about quick and easy no-oven meals during the summer and if you love broccoli like we do, this one is a good one! Lots of pasta dishes are loaded with heavy cream, but we liked this lightened-up version where the “sauce” is made from reserved pasta water along with a little olive oil. We were a little skeptical that it might be too dry, but we were pleasantly surprised at how well we liked this one and how much flavor it had. It’s the perfect summer pasta recipe.
The kids liked the Orecchiette shape since it isn’t one they have often. It was great, but you really could use any short pasta here. Our kids like to help us pick out new pasta shapes at the store which is a fun way to get them involved in meal-prep and we feel like it gets them more excited to try new things at the table.
This recipe wasn’t one we originally intended to share–we just made it because that’s what we had in the fridge. We were impressed and our kids gobbled it up, so we didn’t want to keep it to ourselves. We hope you’ll give it a try! What’s your go-to dinner that you always have the ingredients for?
Orecchiette with Broccoli & Sausage
Ingredients
- 12 oz Orecchiette pasta
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 broccoli crowns steamed and roughly chopped
- 1 pork kielbasa sausage diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- red pepper flakes to taste
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated, plus more for serving
- 2 cups reserved pasta water
Instructions
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Bring a 1-gallon pot of water to a boil and add pasta and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook pasta two minutes less than package directions and drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking water.
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In a skillet over medium heat, sauté sliced sausage with 2 tablespoons olive oil until brown, then add garlic and cook one minute. Stir in cooked broccoli.
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Toss pasta and broccoli mixture in a skillet with some cooking water until the sauce is coating the pasta and pasta is fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Stir in Parmesan cheese and top with additional cheese and a pinch of red pepper flakes before serving.
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