This easy one-pot broccolini pasta is the perfect springtime addition to your recipe rotation. It’s got tender, seasonal broccolini, crispy browned Italian sausage, and a glossy, flavorful, light parmesan sauce. It comes together in just about 40 minutes, making it perfect for a busy midweek dinner. AND on top of all that, it’s flavorful enough to be on a restaurant menu. How’s that for a weeknight win??? 🎉
Even though I’m literally a food blogger who also went to culinary school, I still struggle when it comes to getting dinner on the table night after night. 😣 ADHD means quick recipes aren’t really my thing (I’m totally time-blind) not to mention, I want to actually enjoy the process of cooking, as well as the payoff in the end. That’s where I lean on recipes like this seasonally inspired pasta dish. 😏
This pasta recipe uses orecchiette, a short-cut Italian pasta that means “little ears,” but I feel like it’s more shaped like a lil sunhat. 👒 The shape cooks quickly and it also becomes a tiny little bucket that holds perfectly browned sausage bits! Unlike most heavy Italian-American pasta dishes that rely on a combo of a pound of cheese, cream, or cream cheese (a time and a place for everything 😛), this pasta is comforting and cozy without sending you into a food coma.
👀 the secret sauce…
✨ the flavor: This recipe hits The Oomph and The Balancing Act Flavor Factors the hardest, because it rocks a perfectly balanced main dish with savory meatiness with fresh veggies in a well-balanced sauce.
🎯 the method: Dinner is as easy as prepping your ingredients, boiling the pasta + blanching the broccolini. Then, sauté the meat + deglaze the pan before combining all the ingredients into a silky sauce!
🏆 the win: Everything happens in one pot, from cooking the pasta to finishing the final dish, AND it all happens in a little over a half hour.
what are The Flavor Factors?
The Flavor Factor Framework is my lil set of “flavor guideposts” for cooking with confidence! Less following recipes to a tee, more trusting your instincts, getting creative in the kitchen, and becoming a more intuitive cook! 👩🏻🍳
📚the backstory of developing this recipe
(aka everyone’s favorite part of food blogs!)
I love broccolini. It is probably my favorite vegetable, and whenever I see it pop up on sale in the supermarket, I make sure to buy a few bunches. Normally, I just roast it on its own and eat it as a side dish. Sometimes I put it on pizza (yeah…you haven’t lived until you’ve enjoyed a broccolini meatball pizza). But I wanted to find a way to use it in a main dish to really make it the star of the show.
I actually found a version of this recipe where many great recipes are found: on the back of a box of store brand pasta! 😂 The original recipe was pretty basic, and I knew that I could use my Flavor Factor Framework to really amp up the taste into something spectacular. The addition of acidity from white wine and a heaping helping of umami from Parmesan cheese really takes this basic pasta dish to restaurant-worthy levels.
I also had a big goal to make this using ONE POT. That’s when it hit me: I could blanch the broccoli with the pasta to cut down on dishes! 🤯 The resulting recipe is a craveable main course that is totally doable on a weekday!
🛒 ingredients needed for broccolini sausage pasta
See the recipe card for the exact quantities.
🍳 how to make broccolini sausage pasta
1: Prep broccolini, garlic, and parmesan.
2: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Par-boil the pasta for a few minutes under al dente, then reserve pasta water.
3: Add broccolini to the pasta water for the last minute of cooking, then drain pasta + broccolini together.
4: In the same pot, heat oil + butter, then quickly brown the garlic for 30-60 seconds.
5: Add the sausage and cook until deeply browned. Remove the sausage, deglaze the pot with wine + broth, then season with pepper and red pepper flakes.
6: Add pasta, broccolini, and sausage back to the pot, then toss with parmesan and a splash of pasta water until glossy.
7: Taste and adjust seasoning, then finish with a squeeze of lemon if desired.
8: Serve immediately with extra parmesan, and save a little pasta water to loosen leftovers when reheating.
💡tips & tricks for getting it right
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- keep the pan hot – make sure the pot really gets back up to temperature after you cook the pasta. The meat will release liquid, so it’s important that it evaporates quickly so the pasta browns instead of boiling.
- sausage not browning – avoid the urge to plop a brick of ground meat. Instead, drop it in clumps, like little meatball blobs. This helps your meat cook more evenly, otherwise it can steam rather than sauté.
- too salty – did you accidentally over salt your pasta water? A squeeze of lemon can help balance the saltiness.
- sauce not coming together – if your pasta sauce is not emulsifying properly (the cheese is clumping and not melting) add a bit more pasta water to help things melt and incorporate. Also, be sure to use freshly grated parmesan to avoid a gritty texture that finely shredded or shelf-stable cheese can yield.
- speed it up – if you use two pots (one pasta pot and one sauté pan) you can make this in nearly half the time!
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🍽️ how to serve your pasta
- pair with a drink – Need a drink? Sparkling Italian lemonade or tangy limoncello spritz cocktails are the absolute perfect accompaniment to this light and flavorful pasta!
- top it off – wanna make your pasta even more memorable? You can top it off with a scoop of ricotta, some lemon zest, shavings of parmesan cheese, or an extra pinch of red pepper. You can also add a crunchy textual component by adding a dusting of seasoned Italian breadcrumbs!
- side salad – serve a smaller bowl of pasta with a simple side salad for a more complete veggie forward meal!
♻️ customize your broccolini pasta
- swap the pasta – use another short cut pasta like ditalini, orzo, or a more fun shape like mini farfalle (the little bow-ties!). The key is to choose a smaller shape so the cooking time remains quick!
- swap the veggie – while I prefer to use broccolini for the seasonality factor, you can absolutely use conventional broccoli (and frozen broccoli too!) or another green veggie. I’ve tested this using spinach as well as kale, and both are tasty alternatives! Broccoli raab also works wonderfully, which is slightly more bitter in flavor, but balances really nicely with sweet Italian sausage.
- omit the wine – I also tested this recipe using only chicken broth, and it’s delicious, but I recommend adding lemon juice at the end to add a bit of acidity lost from leaving the wine out.
🧰 equipment needed & storage tips
🫙 how to store leftover pasta
Contrary to popular belief, you CAN store and reheat pasta! One of my favorite tricks for reheating pasta the next day is adding a tablespoon or two of reserved pasta water to help reconstitute the sauce. It keeps everything from being too dry or overcooked when you reheat it.
This is why I like to reserve more pasta water than I think I’ll need. You can store the starchy water in a jar in the fridge, then add 1-2 TBSP as needed when reheating!
💬 q+a
If you make this recipe, please leave a review in the comments and a star rating!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Easy Sausage + Broccolini Pasta (Broccolini Sausage Orecchiette)
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Equipment
- 1 kitchen scale or measuring cups + spoons
- 1 large pot or dutch oven
- 1 colendar
- 1 spatula or wooden spoon
- 1 chefs knife + cutting board
- 1 microplane or box grater
Ingredients
- 454 g orecchiette or other short-cut pasta; 16 ounces, 1 pound
- 454 g Italian sausage 16 ounces, 1 pound
- 10 g garlic 2 small cloves, about 1 tsp
- 21 g butter 1.5 TBSP
- 10 g olive oil 1.5 TBSP
- 112 g chicken broth 1/2 cup
- 115 g white wine dry wine, such as a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio; 1/2 cup
- 115 g shredded parmesan about 1 cup, fresh shredded
- 115 g pasta water 1/2 cup reserved
- 440 g broccolini about 2 bunches
- red pepper flakes pinch
- salt kosher, to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- lemon optional, for squeezing over pasta
Instructions
- Prep broccolini, garlic, and parmesan. Wash broccolini and chop about 1/2 – 1-inch off the stem base, then chop into 1-1/2 – 2 inch pieces. Peel and chop the garlic, and shred your parmesan cheese.440 g broccolini, 10 g garlic
- Par-boil pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for about 6-8 minutes (check your package and subtract 2-3 minutes!), boiling it a few minutes less than al dente.454 g orecchiette
- Reserve water. Using a heat proof measuring cup or ladle, scoop out about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of pasta water.115 g pasta water 1/2 cup
- Add broccolini to boiling pasta. When the pasta is 1-2 minutes from being al dente, add the broccolini to the pot to blanch it quickly. After about 60 seconds, strain the broccolini and pasta into a colander.440 g broccolini
- Heat pot with oil + butter. Return the pot to the stove at medium heat. Heat the oil in the same pot, and one it’s hot add in the butter to melt.10 g olive oil, 21 g butter
- Add garlic + sausage. Add your chopped garlic and sauté for about a minute, then add the sausage to the pot and sauté for 15 minutes, until it’s cooked through. For crispy browned bits, do NOT move the meat around too much, and instead allow it to really sear well.10 g garlic, 454 g Italian sausage
- Remove meat + deglaze pan. Strain the sausage from the pan into a small holding bowl. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and chicken broth, then add the salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.112 g chicken broth, 115 g white wine, red pepper flakes, 1/4 tsp black pepper, salt
- Add the meat, broccolini, and pasta. Return the meat, pasta, and broccolini to the pot with the sauce, and stir everything well to combine.
- Add cheese. Add the shredded cheese, and drizzle in some pasta water if needed to help the sauce come together. Usually, I’ll add at least 1/4 cup, and up to 1/3 of a cup. Save any leftover pasta water for reheating!115 g shredded parmesan
- Serve immediately. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese for serving. Add a spitz of lemon or additional pinch of red pepper if desired.lemon
- Store. Store any leftovers in an airtight container, and add a few tablespoons of pasta water when re-heating to help the sauce reestablish itself.
Notes
ℹ️ troubleshooting tips
- keep the pan hot – make sure the pot really gets back up to temperature after you cook the pasta. The meat will release liquid, so it’s important that it evaporates quickly so the pasta browns instead of boiling.
- sausage not browning – avoid the urge to plop a brick of ground meat. Instead, drop it in clumps, like little meatball blobs. This helps your meat cook more evenly, otherwise it can steam rather than sauté.
- too salty – did you accidentally over salt your pasta water? A squeeze of lemon can help balance the saltiness.
- sauce not coming together – if your pasta sauce is not emulsifying properly (the cheese is clumping and not melting) add a bit more pasta water to help things melt and incorporate. Also, be sure to use freshly grated parmesan to avoid a gritty texture that finely shredded or shelf-stable cheese can yield.
- speed it up – if you use two pots (one pasta pot and one sauté pan) you can make this in nearly half the time!
My family loved this!