Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
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Packed with flavor and easy to make, this orecchiette pasta dish is a longtime favorite—the whole family gobbles it up, broccoli and all!
Sometimes it seems impossible to make a meal that pleases the whole family. What one child happily eats, the other one suddenly isn’t “in the mood for.” But every once in a while, I come across a recipe that everyone loves, like this orecchiette pasta dish adapted from Lidia’s Italian Table by Lidia Bastianich. Not only is it quick and easy to make—25 minutes tops—but the whole family devours it, broccoli and all.
“My whole family loves this (even my 5 year old who doesn’t typically like pasta). It’s so nice to have an easy go-to meal for the middle of the week that my small children get excited about and so does my husband. Thank you!!”
What You’ll Need To Make Orecchiette With Sausage & Broccoli
Orecchiette is named for its shape, which resembles a small ear (the Italian word orecchiette means small ear). If you can’t find it, it’s fine to substitute another pasta, like farfalle or fusilli.
Italian sausage is a great ingredient to have on hand for weeknight dinners. Not only is it quick and easy to cook, but it’s also flavored with a variety of aromatics, herbs and spices, such as garlic and fennel, which add depth and complexity to pasta dishes without the need for a lot of additional seasoning. This makes it an easy and convenient way to add flavor to pasta dishes, such as baked ziti and lasagna. Buy bulk sausage, or sausage meat without the casing, if possible (it’s often easy to find around holiday season as it’s used in stuffing recipes). Otherwise, just squeeze the sausage meat out of the casing.
Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty, and pungent Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk. It’s readily available in grated form in the cheese section of most large supermarkets but if you can’t find it, it’s fine to substitute Parmigiano Reggiano.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by cooking the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet and add the sausage.
Cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until the sausage starts to brown, 5 to 6 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook a minute more.
Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, broccoli, chicken broth, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
Stir in the butter until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
Add the sausage and broccoli mixture to the drained pasta and toss well, along with half of the grated cheese.
Transfer the pasta to a serving bowl or individual bowls and top with the remaining grated cheese.
Video Tutorial
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Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
Packed with flavor and easy to make, this orecchiette pasta dish is a longtime favorite—the whole family gobbles it up, broccoli and all!
Ingredients
- 1 pound orecchiette
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound sweet or spicy Italian sausage, removed from casings
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup freshly grated pecorino Romano
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orecchiette and cook according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium high heat. Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook, breaking apart with a spoon, until lightly browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic; cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil, chicken broth, broccoli, salt and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan to release the flavorful brown bits, until the broccoli is tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted and simmer for a few minutes to reduce and concentrate the sauce.
- Drain the pasta well and place back in the pasta pot. Add the sausage and broccoli mixture, along with half of the cheese, and toss to blend. Taste and adjust seasoning. Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls and pass the remaining grated cheese at the table.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: This dish can be frozen for up to 3 months and reheated on the stovetop. If the dish has dried out a bit in the freezer, add a little water or broth while reheating. Just take care only to reheat it and not continue to cook it.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 624
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated fat: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 64 g
- Sugar: 3 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Sodium: 692 mg
- Cholesterol: 51 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Excellent blend of flavors. I wanted more sauce, as such I added a cup of white wine and a half cup of chicken stock. Additionally, I added about 3-4 cups of spinach which blended perfectly into the dish.
PERFECT! My husband and I absolutely love this recipe. We will certainly make this again. Thank you, Jenn!
Family loved it! And easy to make – will definitely go on the dinner rotation.
Delicious! I made this last night with rave reviews and am already getting requests to make it again next week. It was quick to make and has great flavor for such a simple pasta dish!
Incredibly boring to see this copycat recipe from the endless white bloggers. Up your game, most are over this sort of post
Hi, Kathy, I’m actually surprised that Jenn was gracious enough to approve your comments. A couple of thoughts… First, I’d encourage you to try the recipe before commenting. If you don’t like the ingredients, then don’t try it, obviously, but don’t make these comments. Second, note all of those who *do* happen to appreciate a quick, easy and very tasty recipe for evenings when we don’t have much time. That’s a lot of 5 star reviews for a “boring copycat recipe”. Third, don’t troll. If you can’t say something nice or constructive, then you really shouldn’t say anything at all. There’s just no need.
Could not agree more!! Kathy must have been having a really bad day or maybe a bad year. Thank you Sue for your generous comment.
I never reply to these blogs, but have to say the grace Sue extended to Kathy exudes class. This is a tough time in a world of unprecedented change. Can’t we just all try a little harder to be nice each other? By the way, LOVE the recipe and THANK YOU!
I used to make a variant of this, but this is about 100 times better. This has turned into one of our favorite mid-week meals. Quick and tasty dinner paired with a Rose on a summer night! Doesn’t get much better.
Hi Jenn – I have previously commented on this particular recipe as it is a FAVORITE with my family. I have made it countless times for my family of four, and I have tripled it to serve extended family, all with rave reviews. I would like to make it for my family reunion, but I will be taking it to a location that has limited cooking facilities to keep it warm. Do you think this would keep well in a crockpot, if I make it the morning of, and put it on the ‘Warm’ setting? I appreciate any feedback you can provide on this. Thanks and have a great week!
So glad you like it, Sharon! Unfortunately, I don’t think this will keep well in a crockpot as the pasta will get overcooked. It is something that you can reheat on the stove if you’ll have access to one.
Very tasty! Thank you for this great easy recipe.
Love. Love. LOVE. That is all.
Loved this recipe. Easy & delicious. I will make it again. 😋
Hi, my book is arriving in the mail this week. I can’t wait so I’m making this tonight. Is this recipe (and others that are both in the book and on this site) exactly the same or do the ones in the book have had adjustments made?
Hi Danielle, thanks for purchasing the book! This recipe is not actually in the book. I believe the blog recipes that have some minor differences in the cookbook are the Candied Pecans, the Coconut Cupcakes, and the Lemon Bars. Hope that helps and that you like the cookbook!
I looove this recipe! I have made it several times as my husband is a huge fan! Last night, I was making it for dinner and had some beautiful fresh Tarragon that I wanted to use up…thought it might be good. I chopped up a little over a tablespoon (I cut the recipe in half, it’s just the two of us) and stirred it in with the broccoli and sausage. Amazing! It really complimented the sausage and the pecorino.