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Italian Sausage and Broccoli Pasta

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Savory sausage, tender broccoli, and orecchiette pasta come together in a rich, garlicky sauce with a splash of cream. This crowd-pleasing dish is now doubled and boosted with red pepper flakes, lemon zest, and sun-dried tomatoes for added depth and brightness—weeknight comfort, leveled up.

Ingredients

Scale

2 lbs orecchiette pasta

4 tbsp butter

8 tbsp olive oil, divided

2 lbs Italian sausage (mild or hot, casings removed)

2 tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves)

1 tsp dried oregano

6 cups chopped broccoli

1 ½ cups chicken broth

1 tsp salt

1 tsp coarse black pepper

½ tsp red pepper flakes (twist, optional)

½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (twist)

½ cup heavy cream

1 ½ cups shredded Parmesan

Zest of 1 lemon (twist for brightness)

Instructions

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.

In a large skillet, heat 4 tbsp oil. Cook sausage until browned. Add garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes; sauté 1–2 mins.

Add broccoli and chicken broth. Cover and steam 5–6 mins until broccoli is just tender.

Stir in butter, remaining oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and cream. Simmer 2 mins.

Add cooked pasta and Parmesan. Toss to coat. Add pasta water as needed for a silky sauce.

Serve warm with extra cheese or a squeeze of lemon.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://thecomfortspoon.com/italian-sausage-and-broccoli-pasta/