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Broccoli Bolognese with Orecchiette

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Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boytsova

Broccoli and sausage pair up for an indulgent veg-heavy pasta dinner. We generally use sweet Italian sausage, but like any legit weeknight meal, the recipe is flexible, so play around with your favorite style.


4 servings


large head of broccoli (1¼–1½ pounds), cut into florets, stalk peeled and chopped into ½" pieces

Kosher salt


tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling


garlic cloves, smashed


ounces fresh Italian sausage (about 3 links), casings removed

Crushed red pepper flakes


ounces orecchiette


tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces



Step 1

Cook broccoli in a large pot of salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a colander and let cool (save pot of water for cooking pasta). Chop broccoli into small pieces; set aside.

Step 2

Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic, shaking skillet occasionally, until it starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer garlic to a small bowl. Cook sausage and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes, breaking up meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, 6–8 minutes.

Step 3

Bring reserved pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until barely al dente, about 9 minutes (set a timer for 3 minutes less than the package instructions; it will cook more in the skillet).

Step 4

Meanwhile, ladle about ½ cup pasta cooking liquid from pot into skillet with sausage and add garlic and blanched broccoli. Keep mixture at a low simmer, stirring often and mashing with a potato masher to break up sausage even more, until pasta is finished cooking.

Step 5

Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer pasta to skillet, then ladle in ½ cup pasta water. Cook, stirring, until pasta absorbs most of the liquid and is just al dente, about 4 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted, then transfer pasta to a large bowl. Gradually add 1½ oz. Parmesan, tossing constantly until you have a glossy, emulsified sauce.

Step 6

Serve pasta topped with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes and a drizzle of oil.