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
If you’ve enjoyed this Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe recipe, give it a 5-star rating.
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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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I am trying to print this recipe, but there seems to be a problem. I hit jump to recipe, then I hit print recipe. It goes to the screen to print it, but only stays the for a couple seconds and then goes back to the first screen. I can’t seem to print it no matter what.
Hi Scott, sorry to hear you’re having trouble printing. We tested this on our end and it’s functioning normally. It could be a problem with your computer or printer.
Never had it with the cherry peppers …got to add a sixth star for this version.
We are so happy to hear that and will gladly take the 6th star! Thanks, Saundra!
Eating it right now! It’s delicious ! I made it with regular broccoli and used less pasta.
We’re happy you enjoyed it!
Hi Jim:
Have always enjoyed this recipe and order it anytime I’m at an Italian place. Love your recipes! Thanks for a keeper.
We’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Doris!
Recipes are amazing.Thank you.
We’re so happy to hear that, Mary Ann!
Love the addition of hot cherry peppers! They add a whole new dimension.
I strongly support an episode of role reversal where James cooks and Jim is the taster! The audience loves James and would love to see this too.
Thanks for the comment, Bob! We will likely do an episode like that soon!
I have made this dish more times than I can remember over the years using various recipes but this recipe is absolutely THE BEST!!!! I used red roasted peppers (hubby can’t eat cherry peppers) that I made which were not very soft but perfect for this recipe. So good, so tasty, and so easy! Definitely a keeper recipe.
We’re so happy you loved this recipe, Christine!
Great recipe! Made with spicy chicken Itálian sausage and it was a hit! As always, thank you for your recipes – all amazing!!
So happy you enjoyed!
Just finished one of your recipes. Delicious. Pasta bows, broccoli, red sweet pepper, hot sausage, garlic, some butter, oil & parsley. Oh, so yummy!
Absolutely outstanding
So happy you enjoyed, John!
Love your recipes & cooking style, Jim. You cook like my Grandmother did. Every recipes I have tried has not disappointed. Thanks for sharing your recipes, techniques & step by step instructions. I don’t usually put cherry peppers in my broccoli Rabe & sausage but I’m going to add them next time. Thanks
We’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes!
Loved this recipe! My Grandmother made home made orecchiette. I can still see her thumbing each one at rapid speed! Childhood food memories are the best! Thanks for sharing.
We’re so happy you enjoyed the recipe, Gail!
I love all the recipes I’ve tried from you- looking forward to making this for my family. Can I substitute Tuttoalabria Hot Pepper pate for the cherry peppers, and if so, how much should I use? Thank you!
Hi Gina! If you mean their Calabrian chili paste I would test with 1-2 teaspoons to start and see if you like the flavor. Calabrian chili paste can overwhelm a dish quite quickly. The flavor of Calabrian chili paste is smoky and spicy while pickled cherry peppers aren’t as hot and have a sweet crisp taste. Though they are often subbed for each other they both have a unique flavor. Hope this helps and thanks for liking the recipes.
I made this recipe last night and it was absolutely delicious!! My husband loved it and is now
one of my favorites. Love seeing your recipes, never disappointed!
We’re so happy you and your husband enjoyed!
This looks delicious. I will make this for my Sicilian husband. Would olives add anything to this dish or would it b too much?
Oh you could definitely add some olives. 1/2-3/4 cup of rinsed pitted kalamata or Sicilian olives would be great. Enjoy!
We made this last night and like Pasta and Peas in Red Sauce, this is going into our regular dinner cooking rotation. It was amazing. Easy to make, minimal prep, and like everything else that we’ve cooked from Sip and Feast, it tastes delicious! Thank you for sharing these recipes!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Armen!
Fabulous!
In AZ they call it rapini. Do not ask for broccoli rabe they will say “what is that”. Originally from Brooklyn and we had broccoli rabe once week with or without pasta. Thanks for making these dishes that I had when I lived at home. Make lots of your recipes. Great job.
For whatever reason, I can’t find broccoli rabe at any of my local grocery stores. Would kale work as a substitute if I want to keep a bitter green?
Hi Shaheer, you can use kale or swiss chard as a substitute. Sometimes grocer stores will label broccoli rabe as “rapini” so you may want to check and see if that’s the case at your store.
Ask for rapini. Most supermarkets do not know what broccoli rabe is. Same goes for zucchini. It’s call green squash.
Love it and will try. Your recipes are very similar to my Nonna’s from years ago. She died 1985. Never wrote them down. Now I am 85 y.o. and reliving some of those delicious and easy dishes. Your family must come from the area my grandparents came from.