SPICY Pasta with Turkey Sausage and Broccolini
Traditionally, a pasta dish similar to this would be made with ear-shaped orecchiette pasta and broccoli rabe. It’s equally lovely with fresh fettucine, and because sweeter-tasting broccolini has thin stalks there’s no blanching necessary prior to sautéeing—just chop and go. Skip the red pepper flakes for the spice averse; you can always serve some alongside.
Spicy pasta recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 TBS extra virgin olive oil, plus more to finish
1 lb. Italian-style turkey sausage (I use Di Paola brand. You can also use pork sausage or plain ground turkey)
5-6 oz. broccolini or broccoli di cicco (these are both thin-stemmed types of broccoli). You can use broccoli; see alternative prep below.
4 garlic cloves, minced fine or crushed
Salt, to taste
1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
Red pepper flakes, to taste
Pasta of choice (pictured is fresh fettuccine)
Instructions:
Remove sausage from casings: squeeze insides into a bowl and discard exterior casings. Prepare broccoli di cicco or broccolini by simply chopping the florets & thin stalks crosswise into pieces around 1/4” or so. If you are using regular broccoli, chop off the main stalk and reserve for another use (they’re great peeled and chopped in vegetable soups). Cut the florets vertically into many thin “branches” and then chop crosswise into pieces around 1/4”. Note: if you are using plain ground turkey, season with at least a teaspoon of salt while sautéeing. If you are using sausage, you may need very little salt. It is important to taste once all your ingredients are in the pan, and add salt as needed.
Put a large pot of salted water over high heat for the pasta while you cook the topping. Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. Put in 2 TBS olive oil, then put the turkey sausage in the pan. Allow to brown while stirring occasionally and breaking the meat down into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon. Once the meat has cooked for about 5 minutes and has begun to brown, add the garlic and continue cooking, stirring occasionally. At this point you can add the red pepper flakes: 1 or more teaspoons. After another couple of minutes, add in the chopped broccolini and lower the heat to medium, stirring occasionally. You will cook for about 5 more minutes; broccolini should be bright green and still a bit crunchy.
Once water comes to a boil, add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (varies according to shape and dry vs. fresh). Just before you drain the pasta, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. This step is important. While the pasta drains, add the pasta water to the sausage mixture in the pan and turn up the heat so it simmers briskly. Drizzle in a generous amount of olive oil, stir some more, then stir in the cheese. There should be a small amount of emulsified liquid in the bottom of the pan. Add the noodles back into the pan and toss so they’re coated evenly with all the good stuff in the pan. Serve immediately with additional cheese and red pepper flakes for topping.