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Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

Giada De Laurentiis

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Show: Everyday ItalianEpisode: Light Pasta Classics

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (104)

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Times:

Prep
15 min
Inactive Prep
--
Cook
15 min
Total:
30 min
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Ingredients

  • 2 bunches broccoli rabe, stems trimmed
  • 1 pound orecchiette pasta
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound turkey Italian-style sausage, casings removed
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • Pinch dried crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Cook the broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling salted water until crisp tender, about 1 minute. Transfer the broccoli rabe to a large bowl of ice water to cool, saving the cooking water. Bring the reserved cooking water back to a boil.

Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up into pieces with a spoon, until browned and juices form, about 12 minutes. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes, and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, when the reserved cooking water is boiling, add the orecchiette and cook until al dente, tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes.

Strain the broccoli rabe and add it to the pan with the sausage mixture and toss to coat with the juices. Add the pasta to the skillet. Stir in the Parmesan and serve immediately.

Simple Tomato Sauce:

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes

4 to 6 basil leaves

2 dried bay leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrot and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and taste for seasoning. If sauce tastes too acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, to round out the flavor.

Pour half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth. Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and then pour 1 to 2 cup portions into plastic freezer bags. Freeze for up to 6 months.

Yield: 6 cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

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Read more Comments & Reviews (104)

Comments & Reviews

  • recipe Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
    nancy mesa, AZ 09-02-2009

    Flag

    Macaroni Grill now serving a version of this

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    Just had a knockoff of this at Macaroni Grill. It was made with broccoflower and roasted grape tomatoes. I would have... preferred broccoli rabe or broccolini to the broccoflower, but the roasted tomatoes were a great touch. I'll try that next time I make this.Read more
  • recipe Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
    Courtney Waco, TX 08-20-2009

    Flag

    i've lost count of how many times i've made this recipe!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    i make this recipe often b/c it's so tasty and my family loves it! broc rabe is hard to find in our store here, so i just... use frozen broc florets and blanch them in the water for 2-3 minutes. it works great and is so tasty! thanks, giada!!!Read more
  • recipe Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
    Joy Scottsdale, AZ 04-22-2009

    Flag

    this pasta is addicting!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    I used sweet italian chicken sausage and broccoli crowns and it amazing! Everyone loved it and I ate it for 3 days straight!... It's that best!!Read more
  • recipe Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
    Charlene Wharton, NJ 12-21-2008

    Flag

    Good dish

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    Hi, I agree with Tom from Arlington. I have made this dish twice, for the second time last night. I followed the directions... carefully and did use the rabe water to cook the pasta. Tom was right, the rabe has a strong enough flavor without cooking pasta to it. What I did last night, after following Tom's suggestion, was use regular water for the pasta. I also added some chicken stock to the sausage mixture and the pasta water. Worked well, my husband loved the dish!Read more
  • recipe Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
    Food Torrance, CA 11-03-2008

    Flag

    Very Good (and Quick)! - If you like Italian sausage, you'll love it, in my humble opinion, of course!

    Rated: 4 stars out of 5
    Let me preface this by saying I am not the biggest fan of Italian sausage. And I have to admit I didn't follow the recipe to... the "t," so I apologize for that; however, I am almost certain the overall favor profile and idea was the same. So why did I try this recipe? For some odd reason, I was craving it. Meaty, saucy, salty goodness with spinach. I also swore the recipe included spinach, not broccoli rabe. So spinach is what I used, as that was my craving. I really enjoyed this recipe and had it not been for the sausage and more cheese (I used Pecorino Romano - still a salty, hard cheese like Parm, but a bit more potent and saltier, I would say.). I am not here to gripe, as I did find the dish very tasty. I really enjoyed the cheese speckled pasta and garlic and red pepper flecked spinach immensely in the sausage juice and pasta water - great flavor! I liked the subtle taste of the sausage enveloping the other ingredients. I *loved* the spinach in this dish and wish my grocery store carried broccoli rabe - I believe that would have lent a slightly more bitter flavor to the dish. I did use turkey Italian sausage and definitely found it falvorful enough - didn't miss the pork a bit. I know Parm would have been great in it, I just happen to love Romano; I do use both very frequently though. Overall, I was genuinely surprised at how quickly this dish came together - impressed, too! I would definitely make this again and would consider using regular pork (or turkey or chicken) sausage to appease my personal palate more. Thanks, Giada! Read more
  • recipe Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
    TOM ARLINGTON, VA 11-02-2008

    Flag

    Hold the Water!

    Rated: 5 stars out of 5
    Recipe is great, but only thing I would do is NOT use the water that the Rabe was cooked in. It's a bit too bitter and... carries over into the final product. Other than that, this is a great dish.Read more
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