The backbone of this dish is orecchiette—a round-shaped pasta named for the “little ears” they resemble. It’s traditionally associated with Apulia, the southern Italian region from which we drew our inspiration for this recipe. The pasta is tossed with bites of broccoli and sweet sausage, then given a nice coating of basil-packing pesto and Parmesan cheese.
The quantities provided above are averages only.
Produced in a facility that processes eggs, milk, fish, peanuts, sesame, shellfish, soy, tree nuts, and wheat.
8 ounce
Broccoli Florets
9 ounce
Sweet Italian Pork Sausage
6 ounce
Orecchiette Pasta
(Contains Wheat)
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
2 ounce
Pesto
(Contains Milk)
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains Milk)
2 teaspoon
Olive Oil
unit
Salt
unit
Pepper
Wash and dry all produce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut any large broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Remove sausage from casings.
Wash and dry all produce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut any large broccoli florets into bite-sized pieces. Remove sausage from casings.
Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add broccoli and 2 tsp water. Cover and steam 3 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to mediumhigh. Cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, 3-6 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.
Heat another drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage, breaking up into pieces with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cook until crisp at edges and no longer pink, 4-5 minutes. Add a pinch of chili flakes (to taste) and cook another 30 seconds
Add orecchiette, broccoli, pesto, pasta cooking water, and half the Parmesan to pan. Toss until everything is wellcoated and a thick sauce has formed, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Divide orecchiette mixture between plates. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve.