A delicious pasta meal that combines Orecchiette pasta along with lots of finely chopped broccoli and a little spicy sausage. It’s not a new combination, infact it’s a classic, but in this recipe I’ve doubled the broccoli and halved the pasta to make it a bit healthier and leaner. If you love broccoli you’ll love this meal. If you try the recipe please leave a comment here or share on Instagram, I love to know and see your creation.
Orecchiette with Broccoli Bolognese
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large head of broccoli (1¼–1½ pounds), cut into florets, stalk peeled and chopped into ½” pieces
- 8 oz orecchiette, 2-3 oz per person
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- 8 oz fresh spicy Italian sausage (vegan, turkey or chicken) for vegan I like Field Roast brand or I have a similar recipe follows
- Sea salt( be careful as store bought sausage has plenty of salt)
- Cracked pepper as needed
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- Crushed red pepper flakes as needed
- 1 oz Parmesan, finely grated, plus more for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bring a large pot of salted boiling water to a boil. Cook the broccoli florets for 2-3 minutes until crisp-tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a colander and let cool (use the boiling pot of water for cooking pasta). Chop broccoli into small pieces and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet with 2 tablespoons over medium. Cook the sausage meat along with a generous pinch of red pepper flakes, crushed fennel seeds and chopped garlic, breaking up meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 6–8 minutes.
- Bring reserved pot of water back to a boil and cook pasta until barely al dente, check the package for cooking time and cook about 2 minutes less than the package instructions; we will further cook in the skillet).
- Meanwhile, save and add about ¼ cup pasta cooking liquid from pot into skillet with sausage and blanched chopped broccoli. Keeping it at a low simmer, break up sausage further if needed, until pasta is finished cooking.
- Transfer pasta to the sausage-broccoli skillet, then ladle another ½ cup pasta water.
- Cook, stirring, until pasta absorbs most of the liquid and is just al dente, about 3 minutes.
- Add the Parmesan, tossing constantly until you have a glossy sauce.
- Serve pasta topped with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes.
VEGAN SAUSAGE MEAT
- 1/2 a medium onion
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 10 oz firm organic tofu, crumbled, preferably in a small food processor to small crumbs
- 1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, lightly crushed
- 1/2 tsp ground cayenne use more if you like it spicy
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste+ 1/4 water to thin out
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Warm oil in a skillet. Add diced onions and sauté till soft. Add the crumbled tofu and fry till tofu is slightly browned. Add the spices and mix well. Add the tomato paste and cook till everything is well coated and cooked. Take it off the heat and use as needed.
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