Campanelle Pasta with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
Don’t you just love a “meal in one” pasta dish? Then you have to prepare this pasta dish for your family.
It is a tasty and nutritious combination of bitter greens. zesty italian sausage, red pepper flakes and broth. The “campanelle” cone shaped pasta will capture all the brothy goodness and flavors. Orecchiette or shell pasta work well too.
My girls and I made this dish on a cool spring evening for an impromptu family gathering… It was ready in minutes with just a few ingredients and we fed a group of 12 adults and children. Imagine that!!… three bunches of greens, one pound of Italian sausage and two pounds of pasta….. along with a cool crisp salad … some wine….and everyone was so so happy…
This is what broccoli rabe looks like. It is a very popular Italian bitter green and sometimes called rapini. Most Italians like the slightly bitter flavor but if you prefer to reduce some of the bitterness, just remove most of the tough fibrous stems and blanch the greens ahead of adding them to your broth. When selecting your greens sure the leaves are a crisp green color and buds are closed and not yellowing. Broccoli rabe is very nutritious and a small portion will provide you with a good source of vitamins A, C, K, potassium and iron.
- 2 lbs Campanelle Pasta ( I use Barilla)
- 3 bunches of fresh broccoli rabe greens
- 1 lb sweet Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1- 32 oz container chicken broth
- salt, pepper to taste
- 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 1 cup Pecorino Romano cheese – grated fine
- reserved pasta water
- Bring 8-12 quarts of water to a boil. Add salt to taste
- Add pasta, stir gently
- Boil pasta, for approx 8 – 10 min or until firm to bite.
- Drain pasta and reserve approx 2 cups of pasta water
- transfer drained pasta back to the pot and keep warm
- Prepare broccoli rabe- sausage broth:
- Wash and trim broccoli rabe, cut off most of the fibrous thick stems and retain leaves and buds
- Blanch greens in a large pot of boiling water for 1 minute or until wilted. Drain and when cool, cut greens into bite size pieces and set aside.
- In a deep saute pan, saute sausage meat until browned in 2 tbsp olive oil
- Add garlic cloves and red pepper flakes and saute for another minute.
- Add blanched broccoli rabe and chicken broth. Season broth with salt/ pepper as needed and simmer for 10 minutes on low until broccoli rabe is tender.
- Pour the broth mixture over the cooked pasta and stir well to combine. Add 1/4 cup grated pecorino romano cheese, some chili flakes and a little of reserved pasta water if the pasta is too dry.
- Transfer to a beautiful bowl for serving.
- Ladle into individual bowls and pass around pecorino romano cheese.
- Enjoy ! Buon Appetito
- Kathleen Barbato, 3 Italian Sisters…
Buon Appetito !
Share the passion and cook together with your family and friends!! Eat well and be well..
Kathleen Barbato….3 Italian Sisters.
