Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli Rabe is a delicious, healthy pasta that comes together in 30 minutes – you'll love the homemade turkey sausage too!
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Ingredients in this pasta
Here's what you need to make this recipe (full ingredient amounts are at the bottom of this recipe):
- oreccheitte
- broccoli rabe
- ground turkey
- fennel seeds, paprika, onion powder (for the turkey)
- garlic
- chicken broth
- lemon juice & zest
- parmesan cheese
- chili flakes
How to make this recipe
- Add fennel seeds, paprika, onion powder, salt and pepper with ground turkey and mix together
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water.
- Add broccoli rabe in the last 2 minutes of cook time then drain and set aside.
- Brown ground turkey mixture in the pot, breaking up with a spoon. Cook for 5 minutes until browned.
- Add garlic, pasta and broccoli rabe back to pot, then add chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt & pepper, parmesan cheese and chili flakes, sauteeing for another 2 minutes.
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese and chili flakes and enjoy!
Making homemade sausage
The best part of homemade sausage is that you know exactly what goes in it. Use good quality ground meat with a higher percentage of fat in it. Using 80/20, or even 75/25 will keep your sausage moist as you cook it.
If you discover you like the flavor of the sausage you make for this dish, you might want to experiment with other seasonings for other dishes.
Ingredient substitutions
- Orecchiette – These “little ears” collect all of the great flavors of this dish, but you can use any shape of pasta you like. Or, use a different type, such as whole wheat, gluten-free, or even veggie-pasta.
- Broccoli rabe – If the broccoli rabe is too bitter for you, or if you can’t find it in the store (it may also be labelled rapini), use baby broccoli, spinach, chard, or mustard greens instead.
- Ground turkey – This is the base of the homemade sausage. Feel free to use ground pork if you’d prefer, but make sure that the meat is high quality for the best flavor.
- Fennel seeds, paprika, and onion powder – The spices in your homemade sausage can vary as you like, but fennel is the recognizable flavor in most Italian sausage. You can use ground fennel if you don’t have seeds. Salt is crucial to enhance the flavors of the meat. You can add some dried thyme, sage, or basil to the mix as well.
- Olive oil – Use any light cooking oil to sauté the ground turkey.
- Garlic – There's a lot of garlic in this recipe, but it is a key ingredient to this dish. You can use garlic flakes or powder instead but you may sacrifice a bit of flavor.
- Chicken broth – Use vegetable broth or even some pasta water to make the sauce.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest – White wine brings brightness to the dish if you don’t have lemon on hand.
- Parmesan cheese – Don’t give up the cheese! Asiago or Romano cheese will add the same rich creaminess and tang that parmesan does to the sauce.
- Chili flakes – It is okay to leave the chili flakes out if you don’t want the extra heat.
How do you trim broccoli rabe?
Broccoli rabe is meant to be mostly stems, so don’t cut them all off; every part is edible. Clean the broccoli rabe and separate any long stems that are connected.
Then, cut off any ends that may have turned brown. Make your cuts up to 1 inch from the bottom of the stems.
What to serve with orecchiette
This is a complete meal by itself, but you can add a few dishes to make it special.
- Dinner Rolls
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Green Salad with homemade dressing
Storing and reheating
Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat just a small amount, heat for 2-3 minutes in the microwave in a microwave-safe dish, making sure to sprinkle water overtop to help the pasta retain moisture and stirring halfway through the reheat time.
Freezing this pasta
If you are meal prepping the dish to serve at a later time, cook the orecchiette to just under al dente.
It will cook further in the sauce when you are ready to serve it and won’t go mushy. Blanch the broccoli rabe separately and freeze it on its own or cook it fresh when you are ready to prepare the whole dish.
This meal can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container and reheated on the stovetop.
More easy pasta recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on storing the leftovers
- I get all my free-range ground turkey from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen
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Orecchiette with Sausage & Broccoli Rabe
Ingredients
- 1 lb oreccheitte
- 1 bunch broccoli rabe, chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp each salt & pepper, divided
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 tsp chili flakes
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water for 7-9 minutes. Add broccoli rabe in the last 2 minutes of cook time then drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, mix fennel seeds, paprika, onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper with ground turkey in a large bowl.
- Heat olive oil in the same pot, then add ground turkey mixture, breaking up with a spoon. Cook for 5 minutes until browned. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add pasta and broccoli rabe back to pot, then add chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining 1/2 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp pepper, parmesan cheese and chili flakes, sauteeing for another 2 minutes.
- Serve with extra parmesan cheese and chili flakes and enjoy!
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