Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli is a filling and delicious weeknight meal. This easy pasta recipe comes together in just 35 minutes!
Because they're budget-friendly and cook up quickly, pasta dinners are perfect for busy families. This sausage broccoli pasta is hearty, filling, and downright delicious!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy to adapt to whatever ingredients you have on hand. If you have fresh veggies that need to be used up, toss them into the pan with the broccoli.
- A great meal prep dinner. If you like preparing your meals in advance, you can do that with this recipe! Cook the orecchiette pasta and chop the broccoli into florets, then leave them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Easy to reheat, and it freezes well, too.
Ingredients
See ingredient substitutions in the next section. ⬇️
Don't be intimidated by the long ingredient list. I promise, this sausage broccoli pasta recipe uses simple ingredients that you may already have on hand.
Substitutions
As I mentioned earlier, this recipe is easy to adapt. Here are a few substitutions, and you can swap ingredients out for others if you like.
- Ground Italian sausage: My family prefers sweet (mild) sausage, but if you want to kick up the heat, spicy Italian sausage is a great option!
- Broccoli florets: Use fresh or frozen florets, whichever works best for you.
- Olives: The briny flavor of black, green, or even Kalamata olives goes well with the other ingredients in this dish. If you don't care for them, feel free to leave them out.
- Orecchiette pasta: The shape of this pasta does a great job of holding the sauce. You can substitute it with any small pasta shape that you like. Cavatelli, rotini, ziti, and farfalle are great options.
- Parmesan cheese: If you can afford it, I suggest shredding a wedge of fresh Parmesan, or any other Italian cheese. Avoid using the grated cheese that's sold in the pasta aisle. Shelf stable grated cheese is full of chemical preservatives.
Looking for a pasta dinner without sausage? Try my cheesy ground turkey pasta recipe, or maybe some vegetable baked ziti!
How to Make Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli
Summary only. The complete recipe instructions are in the card at the bottom of this post ⬇️
Be sure to read my recipe tips and notes in the next section.
- Start by boiling a large pot of water to cook the pasta while you make the rest of the meal.
- Brown the Italian sausage, and if necessary, drain any excess grease.
- Sauté the onion and garlic, then stir in the broccoli, broth, and seasonings.
- Stir in the cooked orecchiette, Parmesan, and some butter.
- Let the sausage broccoli pasta simmer for a few minutes before serving.
Liz's Tips for the Best Sausage Broccoli Pasta
- Cook the orecchiette al dente. To prevent mushy pasta, boil it for 2 minutes less than the instructions on the box suggest.
- When you brown the sausage, use a wooden spoon or meat chopper to break the ground meat down into crumbles.
- Before you drain the pasta, reserve some of the starchy water. You'll use it to help bring the sauce together.
Storage and Serving Suggestions
Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Keep in a covered container
With the exception of lasagna, I don't recommend freezing cooked pasta dishes. The pasta tends to become mushy after thawing and reheating.
For serving, I like to top the dish with extra shredded Parmesan and extra red pepper flakes for a spicy kick!
My favorite dessert with any Italian dinner is tiramisu. If you want something a little less indulgent, some creamy custard pie would be delicious.
If you have any questions about this recipe, or to give it a star rating after you make it, please leave a comment below!
Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 pound dried orecchiette pasta
- ½ cup diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound broccoli florets
- 1 cup pitted black olives sliced, *optional
- 1 ½ cups low sodium chicken stock or beef stock/broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup reserved starchy pasta water
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat.
- Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the hot pan.
- Add the ground sausage to the pan and sauté for 10 minutes, breaking the meat apart with a spatula as it cooks.
- While the sausage is cooking, cook the orecchiette pasta to al dente per the package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve ¼ cup of starchy pasta water.
- Add the diced onions, minced garlic, black pepper, salt, and crushed red pepper to the pan with the sausage. Cook for 3 minutes or until the onions are translucent.
- Add the broccoli florets, black olives, and stock to the pot. Stir to combine, cover with a lid, and cook for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, remove the lid and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes and then remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the cooked orecchiette pasta into the pan with the sausage and broccoli. Add the ¼ cup of starchy pasta water, butter, and ½ cup of Parmesan cheese. Stir together for 1 minute to combine.
- Top with remaining ½ cup parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Helpful Notes and Tips From Liz
- The olives are optional, we love the flavor and texture of the olives in this pasta dish, but they can be omitted.
- Hot Italian sausage or sweet Italian sausage works great, use the hot if you don’t mind the extra spice.
- We love orecchiette pasta but cavatelli, ziti, or other small pasta works great too.
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