This vibrant Orecchiette, Sausage, and Broccoli Pasta is deeply savory and ultra satisfying without feeling heavy. This pasta dinner is made without heavy cream and minimal amounts of butter. Instead, the sauce is created mainly with chicken broth and olive oil. We’ve loaded in plenty of broccoli and finish the dish with a good dose of Parmesan cheese — the whole family is going to love this one!
How do you pronounce Orecchiette in Italian?
“oh-reck-ee-ET-tay” (Here’s a video to hear the proper Orecchiette pronunciation)
Orecchiette with Sausage
Sausage and pasta are a match made in heaven — I’ll take the two together whenever I have the option!
Usually when we combine sausage and pasta, it’s in a decadent and heavy cream sauce. Delicious? Absolutely! But certainly more of an indulgent dinner. (Hello, my fave comfort meals: Sausage Rigatoni, Creamy Sausage Pasta, and Summer Pasta!)
This dish is a lighter, weeknight meal type of option–for when you’re craving comfort food, but a little bit less. There is no cream or milk in this dish; instead the saucy base is made up of browned bits from the sausage (loads of flavor here), chicken broth, olive oil, and a touch of butter for good measure. This dish feels refreshingly light, especially if you add a squeeze of lemon! Truly, it makes the best sauce for orecchiette pasta — it clings perfectly to every nook and cranny!
Quick Tip
Looking for other Orecchiette recipes? We use this pasta shape in this Autumn Crunch Pasta Salad which is a reader favorite!
Orecchiette Pasta Recipe Ingredients
This dish is fairly minimalist and doesn’t require a whole lot of ingredients. Below is a quick breakdown of a few ingredients worth mentioning:
- Italian sausage: The better the sausage, the better this dish tastes! Look for sausages where you can see marbling of fat as opposed to sausages that are a uniform color.
- Depending on personal preference, use mild or spicy sausage — either works and both are delicious. Make sure to remove the casings before cooking.
- Make sure you’re using Italian sausage, not breakfast sausages. The spice blend is quite different!
- For more heat (and flavor) use spicy sausage. If you’re sensitive to spice, use a mild or sweet sausage instead. If some of your guests want more spice and others don’t, serve red pepper flakes on the side!
- Parmesan cheese: For the perfect melt and to ensure the measurement is accurate (so the dish isn’t too salty), use a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it on the small holes of your cheese grater. Measure and add!
- Broccoli: Frozen broccoli tends to get a bit mushy and doesn’t taste the best in this dish. Save frozen for broccoli soup and use fresh here!
Variations
How To Make This Orecchiette Pasta Dish Your Own!
- Orecchiette with broccoli rabe: For a fancier feel, replace the regular broccoli with broccoli rabe. (Fun fact: did you know the two aren’t actually related?! Broccoli is in the cabbage family and broccoli rabe is related to turnips.) Broccoli rabe has longer and thinner stalks than regular broccoli. It’s very common in Italian cuisine and is typically sautéed with olive oil (eaten raw it can be quite bitter).
- Orecchiette with sausage and spinach: If you’d like to add some extra greens, add 3 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach when you stir in the cooked pasta. As you toss the pasta in the sauce, the spinach will quickly wilt down.
- Vegetarian orecchiette pasta: If you want to prepare this dish without sausage, it will be lacking quite a bit of flavor (and saltiness). Sausage is a key flavor element, so I’d recommend making this Broccoli Pasta instead and swapping out pasta types. You’ll also want to replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
Orecchiette, Sausage, and Broccoli Pasta FAQs
What is orecchiette?
Orecchiette is a pasta shape from Apulia, Southern Italy. The name means ‘little ears,’ which is what they look like! One side of the pasta is rough, perfect for holding onto sauces.
What pasta can be substituted for orecchiette?
Look for a similar-sized pasta with ridges or rough surfaces to catch the sauce. Medium shells, fusilli, farfalle, or penne would all work well.
Quick Tip
Remember to Reserve Pasta Water!
Do you struggle to remember to save some pasta water before draining the pasta? I know I do! Here’s a trick: Place the colander in the sink with a mug or heat-safe measuring cup in the center. When you go to drain the pasta, you’ll see the mug and be reminded to pull out some water first!
More Lighter Pasta Options:
- Corn Pasta a sauce made from…you guessed it, corn!
- Vegetable Pasta loads of veggies in a lightened-up sauce
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with a lightened-up Alfredo sauce
- Healthy Pasta Bake with chicken sausage and broccoli
- Mediterranean Pasta Salad with a light lemon vinaigrette
Orecchiette, Sausage, and Broccoli Pasta
Equipment
- Large pan
- Large pot
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) box orecchiette pasta see note 1
- 5 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 19 ounces Italian sausage sweet or spicy, see note 2
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 cups broccoli florets
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese plus more for topping, see note 3
- 1 lemon optional
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley optional
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large pan. Heat to medium-high, add sausage (casings removed) and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Cook and crumble until browned, 5–7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic, Italian seasoning, dried parsley, and red pepper flakes. Stir until fragrant, 30–60 seconds.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water (2 teaspoons) to boil. Cook pasta according to the package’s minimum time. Reserve a cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Do not rinse.
- Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, chicken broth, and broccoli to the sausage pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until broccoli is crisp-tender, about 3–5 minutes. Add the butter and stir until melted. Simmer until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.
- Add drained pasta to the sausage and broccoli mixture; toss well. Gradually add cheese (2 tablespoons at a time) while tossing until well combined (add cheese slowly to prevent clumping). Add reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. Optionally add a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Divide among bowls, adding fresh parsley and an extra sprinkle of Parmesan if desired. Enjoy promptly!
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I’ve made several different orecchiette and sausage recipes and this one is by far the best! So much flavor.
Yay!! So thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Jeff! 🙂
Is the oil necessary? Is there not enough grease from the sausage?
I do think it’s necessary here, but feel free to adjust the recipe to your own preference!
Great recipe! Very filling and flavorful. My husband and teenage boys raved about the meal. Definitely a keeper! Thank you for the delicious recipe.
So happy to hear everyone loved it! Thanks Vanessa! 🙂
Did the recipe change? The one I had on Pinterest was a one pot with rotini and different spices.
Yes! There is a note in the recipe card, it says:
This recipe has slightly changed — it used to be a one pot dish with a special type of pasta that cooked quickly (“pronto” noodles). The company no longer makes the pasta, so I updated the recipe with regular pasta instead. If you still would like to reference the old recipe, here it is: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Screen-Shot-2022-09-29-at-6.33.32-PM.png