Pasta with Sausage and Rapini is a great dish to serve any night of the week. It’s easy to make, colorful, and full of flavor. You’ll enjoy each ingredient in every bite!
I never say basta when it comes to pasta. Okay, okay. Totally cornball, but it’s true!
Pasta with Sausage and Rapini is an easy dish to make and it requires only two pans: one for the pasta, and one to toss everything together to finish it off. This dish is also colorful thanks to the bright green rapini (also known as broccoli rabe).
If you’ve never tried rapini before, you should! It’s pretty easy to find in grocery stores. It looks a bit like broccoli but it’s flat rather than formed in a crown of florets.
You can eat all of it, too: the stems, the leaves, and the little broccoli-like florets. It has a slightly bitter taste, which is why I think it’s perfect combined with sausage (and pasta). Check out this post from Food & Wine to learn more about this lovely green veggie.
Pasta with Sausage and Rapini
I used orecchiette pasta to make this recipe for Pasta with Sausage and Rapini because the ear-shaped shells (the Italian translation for orecchiette is “little ears”) scoop up the sausage and rapini nicely. They allow you to get a taste of everything in each bite!
For an Asian-inspired recipe that includes rapini try my Pan Fried Udon Noodles with Garlic and Rapini. Oh! It’s so good, and now I’m craving it!
Growing up in an Italian family, we had pasta alllll the time. At least every Sunday. Every holiday included a pasta dish, too, and we still look forward to Thanksgiving Lasagna. Maybe strange to some, but it’s a delicious tradition!
My husband and I both love pasta and we love to make different kinds of pasta dishes like my Pasta e Fagioli (Pasta with Beans), or Pasta with Smashed Peas and Ricotta.
Pasta is one of those dishes that can help you in a pinch when there’s not much in the fridge (try this recipe for Spaghetti with Fried Eggs and Crunchy Breadcrumbs when you find yourself in that boat), or it can turn into a fabulous dish for a special occasion like this Spaghetti alle Vongole (Spaghetti with Clams).
I don’t have to tell you the many ways to enjoy pasta: covered in red sauce and severed with meatballs. Served plain in a butter and garlic sauce. Baked like lasagna, and even in soup like Vegetable Noodle Soup with Greens.
This recipe for Pasta with Sausage and Rapini is an easy dish to toss together any night of the week. Make this dish soon. I bet you won’t miss the red sauce!
Calories
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Patricia Conte/Grab a Plate
Serves Serves 4-6
Save Recipe5 based on 1 review(s)
Ingredients
- 3/4 pound orecchiette pasta
- 1 large bunch rapini, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Optional: red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Bring enough salted water to cook the pasta to a boil. Add the rapini to the boiling water for just a few minutes, then remove the rapini and set aside.
- Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions, or until done. When done cooking, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.
- As the pasta cooks, add the sausage to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until browned and done. Remove the sausage from the skillet using a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the oil to the skillet. Cook the garlic over medium heat for about a minute. Add the rapini to the skillet. Add the broth and cook for a few minutes until warmed through.
- Add the sausage back to the skillet and toss to combine.
- When the pasta is finished cooking, add it to the skillet along with some of the pasta water. Season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Serve in individual bowls with the Parmesan and red pepper flakes over the top.
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