The pasta that made me fall in love with rapini (aka broccoli rabe)! If you, like me, previously characterized rapini as too bitter and difficult to chew, this recipe is my plea for you to give it a second chance.
Equipment
To make my sausage and rapini pasta at home, here’s what you need:
- large pot
- large pan
- chef’s knife
- wooden spoon
- strainer
- measuring cup
- cheese grater
Note: check the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and instructions to make the recipe!
Cooking Tips
- Can’t find sausage meat? Just buy sausages and remove the casing yourself. Simply cut a slit down the length of the sausage and peal back the thin outer layer to reveal the sausage meat within. Discard the casing and happy cooking!
- Don’t have sherry vinegar? Substitute sherry vinegar for wine or broth. Pasta water will also work in a pinch.
- Season your pasta water generously! Don’t be afraid of adding too much salt, it’s very hard to do when seasoning pasta water. The best way to know if your water is seasoned enough, is to taste it. The water should be salty like the ocean.
- Serve it with…cheesy tomato galette or grilled vegetable salad.
What is the difference between rapini and broccolini?
Although they look almost identical, rapini and broccolini have very different tastes and textures. Rapini, or broccoli rabe, is bolder, more bitter and has a thicker, woody stem. Broccolini is sweet and mild with a softer, less chewy stem.
What is the best pasta shape for sausage and rapini?
The dish is most commonly made with orecchiette and that’s what I like using, but rigatoni or tortiglioni would also work. Look for shapes that have a good surface area to trap sauce and hold bits like sausage and rapini.
Sausage and Rapini Pasta
4
servings30
minutesIngredients
4-6 mild Italian pork sausages, casings removed
3 garlic cloves
4 cups chopped rapini florets
1 tbsp chili flakes
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
400g orecchiette
½ cup parmesan
Salt (I'm using Diamond Crystal)
Cracked black pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of salty water to boil.
Meanwhile, heat a large pan with tall sizes on medium heat. Once hot, add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan (about 3-4 tbsp). Add garlic and let sizzle until your kitchen starts to smell garlicky.
When your kitchen is garlicky, add your sausages, breaking them into 1 inch pieces as you go. Let brown on one side, about 5 minutes.
By now your water should be boiling. Add pasta and cook to al dente by following package instructions.
Once brown, use a spoon to break it up further into small crumbles. Let cook until ⅓ of the meat is brown and caramelized. Season with chili flakes and a pinch of salt, then deglaze with sherry vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pan with your spoon to release any brown bits at the bottom. Turn heat to low and let it hangout while the pasta finishes.
Add your chopped rapini to the pasta pot for the last 3 minutes of the cook time. We want to blanche it a bit to reduce the bitterness! Once done, reserve 2 cups of water and drain the rest.
Transfer the cooked pasta and rapini to the pan with the cooked sausage. Add ½ cup pasta water and stir on low heat. Add another ½ cup pasta water and continue stirring until a glossy sauce forms. Stir in parmesan and finish with fresh cracked black pepper.
Tag me @stefsdinnerdate on Instagram and TikTok if you make it! I love seeing your creations.
Hi there just wanted to give you a quick heads up.
The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Safari.
I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with browser compatibility but
I thought I’d post to let you know. The design look great though!
Hope you get the issue resolved soon. Kudos https://menbehealth.wordpress.com/
Hey, thanks for letting me know! I checked the page in Safari and it looks OK to me. It might be a setting on your computer. I hope you enjoy the recipe!