Sausage Pesto Pasta with Rapini (Broccoli Rabe)

Sausage Pesto Pasta with Rapini is a hearty Italian pasta dish with a little spice. Each bite of this rustic dish is an explosion of flavor. It's an effortless pasta recipe that is sure to impress and make you feel like you're in Italy!

We love this pasta with small pasta like orecchiette. The orecchiette's texture and curves catch the flavor from the kale pesto, spicy Italian sausage, and flavorful rapini.

This sausage pasta is an easy dish that only takes 45 minutes to make. It is easy enough for a weekly meal plan for the whole family and impressive enough for a night of entertaining.

Jump to:

• What is Orecchiette?
• What is Rapini?
• Key Ingredients
• Instructions to make the Sausage Pasta
• Substitutions
• Variations
• Storage
• Related Recipes
• Did You Like This Recipe?
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What is Orecchiette?

Orecchiette is made by forming small cubes of pasta dough. The dough is then dragged with a knife, which curls the dough and forms a cavatello. The cavatello is inverted and turned into an orecchiette, or a "little ear." Orecchiette pasta is often made with only water and flour so the dough is sturdier, making them a perfect match for hearty vegetables like rapini (broccoli rabe), cauliflower, and broccoli.

What is Rapini?

Rapini, also known as broccoli rabe, is a classic Italian vegetable. It is a cruciferous green with a naturally bitter taste that pairs well with garlic cloves and crushed red pepper. We often enjoy rapini with a roast, prime rib, or other rich meats that complement the vegetable. Since rapini is naturally bitter, you can blanch it in hot water to cut the bitter taste and allow the yummy flavor to come through.

Orecchiette and rapini are delicious together. The hearty pasta's natural curves and ridges catch the rapini and sausage juices, making each al dente bite flavorful.

Key Ingredients

• Italian chicken sausage - An earthy and lightly spicy sausage. We prefer chicken sausage because they are typically lower in fat and sodium while still providing great flavor.
• Extra virgin olive oil - A flavorful base for cooking the ingredients.
• Shallot - A light aromatic that enhances the other flavors.
• Kosher salt - Adds flavor to the pasta water.
• Red chili flakes - Adds a spicy kick to the sauce.
• Garlic - An aromatic that adds a pungent kick.
• Rapini or broccoli rabe - A lightly bitter and hearty vegetable whose flavors blend well in the pasta.
• Pesto - Pesto adds a nutty and herby flavor. It goes perfectly with the sausage and ties the dish together. For fresh homemade pesto, I recommend Kale Walnut Pesto, Spinach Pesto, or the more traditional Basil Pesto.
• Orecchiette pasta - Has the perfect texture to catch the sauce.
• Parsley - Adds an earthy and peppery flavor to the sauce.
• Parmigianno-Reggiano - Parmigiano-reggiano is an aged Italian cheese made of cow's milk. It is full of umami flavor and is the perfect topping for a sausage pasta.

Instructions to make the Sausage Pasta

• Blanch Rapini - Blanch the rapini in boiled water removes the bitterness. First, boil salted water in a large pot. Place the rapini in the water and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tender. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the rapini and place it in a bowl. Save this water in the pot for pasta.
• Cook Sausage and Shallots - In a separate large pan, braiser, or Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots and sausage and use a wooden spoon to break up the sausage into small pieces. Cook until the sausage is golden and crumbly in texture. Stir in the chili flakes, salt, and garlic to the sausage and cook until fragrant.
• Season the meat - Stir in the chili flakes, salt, and garlic to the sausage and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes.

• Cook Pasta - Bring the pot of water back to a rolling boil. Add the orecchiette to the water and cook until al dente. Before draining the water, reserve a cup of pasta water. Then, drain the pasta and set aside. 
• Mix Ingredients - Add rapini, orecchiette, and pesto to the pan of sausage. Gently fold in the ingredients to evenly coat the orecchiette with pesto.  Add rapini, orecchiette, and pesto to the pan of sausage. Gently fold in the ingredients until the orecchiette is evenly coated with pesto. Stir in pasta water ¼ cup at a time until combined with other ingredients.

• Serve and Enjoy - Serve the pasta in bowls, garnish with parsley, and serve with grated parmesan cheese or Parmigianno-reggiano. 

Substitutions

• Whole Wheat Pasta - Replace traditional pasta with whole wheat penne pasta.
• Gluten free - Use a gluten-free pasta. We recommend Garofalo Gluten Free pasta, which tastes like traditional wheat-based pasta.
• Onion - Replace shallot with onion if you want a stronger and more pungent onion flavor in the sauce.
• Pork Italian Sausage - Use pork Italian sausage for a fuller and fattier flavor.
• Rigatoni - Replace orecchiette with rigatoni. Rigatoni is a short, wide, and hollow a noodle with with deep ridges and a broad surface that the sauce will cling to well.
• Homemade Pasta - Use homemade pasta from scratch instead of store bought.
• Store-bought pesto - If you don’t want to make your own pesto, use a high-quality jarred pesto instead

Variations

• Extra Spicy - This pasta already has spic from the red chili flakes. In order to make it extra spicy, add more red chili flakes or fresh cracked black pepper.
• Vegetarian - Omit the Italian sausage and just enjoy the flavors of the pesto and rapini. You can also replace the Italian sausage with meatless sausages. However, keep in mind that sausage emits oil so if you don't use it, you need to add extra olive oil to cook the shallots.
• Vegan - This pasta can also be vegan if you either omit sausage or use meatless sausages and omit the Parmiggiano-Reggiano.
• Rapini - If you find the taste of rapini overpowering, you can use less in the dish or omit it altogether. The pesto, sausage, and other ingredients pack plenty of flavor to make up for the lack of rapini.
• Bell pepper - Add red bell pepper to add a sweet citrus to the dish.

Storage

Refrigerate leftover pesto pasta for up to 5 days in an air-tight container. To reheat, simply place the desired amount of leftover pasta and sauce in a braiser or dutch oven. Reheat the leftovers over low heat stirring occasionally until hot.

Related Recipes

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