penne pasta, broccoli rabe, and sausage in skillet

This flavorful, hearty, and comforting southern Italian pasta with rapini and sausage is a quick and easy well-balanced meal for any night of the week.

 

This recipe is loosely based on the traditional orecchiette con cime di rapa meal from southern Italy of orecchiette pasta with crumbled Italian sausage and broccoli rabe. 

 

woman reading with text overlay reading midlife mindset wellness, it's your time. Click here for a free guide

 

This blog post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here.

 

This great dish makes a perfect weeknight dinner or any time you are looking for a quick and easy meal. I am a big fan of any meal that can be made in under 30 minutes! Another wonderful thing about this dish is that it can be switched up depending on your tastes and what ingredients you have available.

 

Looking for another great pasta dish? Give this Pasta with Bacon and Pumpkin Butter Sauce a try!

 

 

What is Rapini?

 

If you aren’t familiar with rapini, you may know it by another name – broccoli rabe. They are one and the same but not to be confused with broccolini, which is different. Rapini is a leafy green vegetable with a slightly bitter taste to it. Despite the name, it is actually not part of the broccoli family, as you would imagine. Instead, it’s part of the turnip family.

 

Rapini is filled with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and has been shown to lower cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

 

Pasta with Rapini and italian sausage in bowl

 

What Is In This Italian Dish?

 

As I mentioned, it is very versatile. The ingredients for my Pasta with Rapini and Sauage are below, but I will share some simple variations that may interest you.

 

Rapini – While I use an imported jarred version, you may choose to use fresh rapini. Martha Stewart shows you how to boil and blanch it here. You’ll need to do this before adding it to your skillet.

Sausage – I used an Italian-style chicken sausage, but sweet or hot Italian pork sausage or turkey sausage can easily be substituted.

Pasta – You can really use any pasta with this dish. Ziti and penne are my favorites when I make this, but feel free to experiment with your favorite.

Hot Pepper Spread – The spicy kick that this meal has is a big draw for me, but I know not everyone feels the same way. You can adjust the amount or omit it altogether if you prefer. If hot pepper spread is not available, red pepper flakes can be used instead.

 

 

jarred rapini, penne pasta, hot pepper spread, minced garlic, Italian sausage

 

Ingredients:

14 oz pasta (medium size works best, such as penne, ziti, orecchiette, rigatoni)
18 oz jar of rapini (broccoli rabe), undrained
1 lb Italian sausage links
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 tbsp hot pepper spread
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt & pepper, to taste

 

 

How To Make Pasta with Rapini and Sausage

 

Cook time – 25 minutes
6 servings

 

Boil a pot of salted water and cook pasta according to package directions. While the pasta is cooking, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large deep skillet and cook the sausage over medium heat. Once the sausage is cooked to a golden brown, remove it from the skillet and set it aside to cool slightly before cutting it into one-inch bite sizes pieces.

 

Italians style chicken susage cut into bite size pieces

 

Add the remaining olive oil to your skillet with the rapini. If using jarred rapini, be sure to use the brine included in the rapini jar. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper, to taste. Saute it all over medium heat for about 6-8 minutes.

 

large skillet with rapini, sausage, hot peppers

 

For great pasta dishes, be sure to check out my other recipes:

Pesto Artichoke Spaghetti
Cauliflower Gnocchi with Butternut Squash
Pasta with Artichokes and Tomatoes
Pasta Fagioli

 

Add in the sausage and hot pepper spread, stirring to combine. Slowly add in the pasta, mixing everything together as you go. Season with additional salt & pepper, if desired. Remove from heat. 

 

Serve in pasta bowls.  I love to sprinkle a bit of grated Pecorino cheese on top. Actually, that’s not true…I love to sprinkle A LOT of grated Pecorino cheese on top!

 

A delicious twist on a classic Italian dish featuring pasta, rapini, and sausage in a hearty meal.

 

broccoli rabe (rapini), Italian sausage and pasta

 

Check out some other southern Italian recipes:

Antipasto Charcuterie Board
Mediterranean Whitefish
Sicilian Fish Stew
Arancini Casserole

 

Let me know in the comments below how you enjoyed this recipe!

 

Italian sausage with rapini and pasta

Pasta with Rapini and Sausage

MaryJo
Delicious Italian dish with pasta, broccoli rabe (rapini), and sausage.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 14 oz pasta
  • 18 oz jar of rapini (broccoli rabe) undrained
  • 1 lb Italian sausage links
  • 4 tbsp olive oil divided
  • 1 tbsp hot pepper spread
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Boil a pot of salted water and cook pasta according to package directions.
  • While pasta is cooking, add 2 tbsp of olive oil to a large deep skillet and cook sausage over medium heat. Once sausage is cooked and golden brown remove from skillet and set aside.
  • Add remaining olive oil to skillet with undrained rapini, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt & pepper, to taste. Saute over medium heat for 6-8 minutes.
  • Cut the sausage into approximately one-inch pieces and place in skillet with rapini. Add the hot pepper spread and stir to combine.
  • Slowly add in the pasta, mixing everything together as you go. Add additional salt & pepper, if desired. Remove from heat. Add to pasta bowls and serve.
Keyword broccoli rabe, hot pepper spread, Italian, rapini, sausage

 

 

Pasta with broccoli rabe and Italian sausage

Have You Tried This Recipe?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.