Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe is a quintessential Italian-American meal that combines sweet fennel sausage, garlicky broccoli rabe, and hot cherry peppers, all of which find their way into the nooks of the orecchiette ensuring each bite is a delight!
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An old-school favorite!
I grew up eating orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe and this simple dish can be found on the menu of nearly every Italian restaurant on Long Island and in the New York metro area.
It’s one of my favorite dishes to order, and a dish that my son has become quite good at making – perhaps we’ll film an updated video with him cooking and me taste-testing!
And since I almost always have some type of sausage on hand for dishes like sausage and peppers, pasta norcina or gorgonzola cream sauce pasta, this dish is one I can make whenever the mood strikes!
Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Pasta. The Italian word Orecchiette translates to “little ears” in English and is the preferred pasta shape for this dish because its shape is perfect for capturing bits of the sausage and broccoli rabe. You can use other pasta shapes if you prefer.
- Sausage. Sweet fennel pork sausage is traditionally used for this dish but you can certainly use hot Italian sausage or chicken sausage if you prefer.
- Broccoli rabe. This bitter green provides perfect balance to this dish and I love it! If you don’t enjoy the flavor of broccoli rabe, you can use broccolini, spinach, or another green (my mom does this!)
- Cherry peppers. I can’t imagine orecchiette, sausage, and broccoli rabe without cherry peppers! Hoagie spread is another great option if you can’t find whole cherry peppers.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Remove and discard the bottom 1-inch from the broccoli rabe and roughly chop into 2-3 inch-long pieces.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and blanch the broccoli rabe for 2-3 minutes or until it turns bright green. Using tongs or a pasta spider, remove the broccoli rabe and set it aside to cool. Do not dump the water as you’ll use it for the pasta later on.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and saute the sausage until cooked through then remove the sausage from the pan and set aside. At this time, add the orecchiette to the boiling water and cook it to 1-2 minutes shy of al dente.
- In the same pan the sausage was cooked in, add 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped garlic and cook until the garlic turns lightly golden, about 2-4 minutes.
- Add the cherry peppers and return the sausage to the pan and cook over medium heat.
- Add the broccoli rabe to the pan and mix everything together. Add a cup of pasta water to the pan and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the al dente orecchiette and cook until done while tossing and stirring to combine all the ingredients.
- Taste test and make any final adjustments to salt and pepper. When satisfied with the taste, add the parsley, grated cheese and remaining extra virgin olive oil. Toss once more and serve with more cherry peppers and grated cheese on the side.
Top tips
- Cooking the broccoli rabe. Some folks like their broccoli rabe very soft, others like it al dente. Cook it to however you’d like which can mean blanching it for longer or adding to the pan and cooking it there for longer.
- Save your pasta water! Pasta water is a key ingredient in orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe. Be sure to save it for making the sauce and for adding at the end if the pasta dries out at all.
More easy pasta recipes with Italian sausage
Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe not only tastes amazing, but it also incredibly easy! Here are a few more of my favorite easy go-to pasta recipes for you to try.
- Pasta alla Zozzona
- Sausage and peppers rigatoni
- Beans and greens sausage pasta
- Creamy Italian sausage pasta
- Sausage cherry tomato pasta
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Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) orecchiette
- 1 pound (454g) broccoli rabe bottom 1-inch of stems removed and chopped into 2" pieces
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) bulk Italian sausage
- 1/2 cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil divided
- 10 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 large cherry (vinegar) peppers chopped with seeds and stems removed
- 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano
- 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
- 1 1/2 cups (680ml) reserved pasta water
- salt and pepper to taste
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Instructions
- Cut off and discard the bottom 1-inch of broccoli rabe. Chop the broccoli rabe into 2-3 inch long pieces.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and blanch the broccoli rabe for 2-3 minutes or until it turns bright green. Using tongs or a pasta spider remove the broccoli rabe and set it aside to cool. Do not dump the water. Keep the water boiling for the pasta later on.
- Meanwhile, heat your largest pan to medium-high heat and saute the sausage until cooked through. Remove the sausage from the pan and set it aside.
- To the same pot of boiling water, add the orecchiette pasta. Cook the pasta to 1-2 minutes less than al dente.
- In the same pan, turn the heat down to medium, and add a 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil and the chopped garlic. Cook until the garlic turns lightly golden (about 2-4 minutes). Add the cherry peppers and return the sausage to the pan and continue to cook over medium heat.
- Add the broccoli rabe to the pan and mix everything together to combine. Add a cup of pasta water to the pan and cook for 1 minute more. Add in the al dente pasta and cook until done while tossing or stirring to incorporate (about 1-2 minutes).
- Taste test and make final adjustments to salt and pepper. When satisfied turn off the heat and add in the parsley, grated cheese, and the remaining extra virgin olive oil. Mix or toss once more and serve. If the pasta is too dry just add a couple of ounces of pasta water at a time to bring the consistency back to perfect. Serve with more cherry peppers and grated cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Prepping broccoli rabe. Make sure to remove the hard bottom 1 inch of the broccoli rabe.
- Save your pasta water. If the pasta dries out before serving, revive it with a few ounces of pasta water.
- Leftovers. Orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe can be saved in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on March 14, 2021. It was completely updated on March 24, 2025.
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James I’m so happy I found you on instagram!!! Love all your recipes, and can’t wait to get your cookbook. Thank you for great videos❤️
We’re happy to hear that, Jenny!
I have made this recipe so many times. We love it so delicious 😋 And will probably make it at least monthly. This is one of my favorites. TY for the great recipe & super great videos!!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Lorraine!
Hi Jim, Just a few months ago, I happened to see one of your videos. My husband loves to watch cooking shows, especially Italian. Me, not at all. And I seldom like their recipes. I walked in and he was watching your show. I liked your style of cooking, much like how I learned from my Sicilian family. Simple, good basic ingredients, well seasoned, and retaining Italian cooking at its best without trying to elevate it. American Italian cooking is better than the food in Italy, at least in my experience of both countries. I have used several of your recipes and been very pleased with all of them. Thank you for enriching my cooking repertoire. Daisy J Cavallaro
Hi Daisy, we’re so happy our videos and recipes have resonated with you and we appreciate the comment!