“Little Ears” Pasta

(from castro15’s recipe box)

Categories: Pasta

Ingredients

  • 16 ounce Baby Broccoli
  • 18 ounce Sweet Italian Pork Sausage
  • 12 ounce Orecchiette
  • 1 teaspoon Chili Flakes
  • 4 ounce Nut-Free Pesto
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions

  1. Wash and dry all produce. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cut any large broccoli florets into bite-size pieces. Remove sausage from casings.

  2. Once water is boiling, add orecchiette to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-12 minutes. Carefully scoop out and reserve ΒΌ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.

  3. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add broccoli and 2 tsp water. Cover and steam 3 minutes. Uncover and increase heat to medium high. Cook, tossing occasionally, until browned and tender, 3-6 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.

  4. Heat another drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage, breaking up meat into pieces. Cook until crisp at edges and no longer pink, 4-5 minutes. Add a pinch of chili flakes (to taste) and cook another 30 seconds.

  5. Add orecchiette, broccoli, pesto, pasta cooking water, and half the Parmesan to pan. Toss until everything is well-coated and a thick sauce has formed, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

  6. Transfer pasta mixture to a serving dish (or serve it straight from the pan). Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and serve, letting everyone help themselves.

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