Here’s my super long story before the recipe:
This morning I found this article (via Joy the Baker) from Thought Catalog called I’m Sick of Summer. It completely sums up how I feel about summer, especially since we’re in the middle of a heatwave right now.
Except, I don’t have to deal with the monotony of year-round job and I do have the excitement of a new hockey season each fall to remind me that something new is coming. But really, this is the reason I look forward to fall every year.
This recipe is totally unrelated to being sick of summer. I have no interesting story to tell you about pasta with Italian sausage and broccoli, other than saying that I love this meal.
I used to make it all the time, but somehow I forgot all about it. It’s been forever, but it’s just as delicious as I remember it. And, I now I’ve made it dairy free.
This recipe would be great with: tomato bruschetta / strawberry poppyseed salad / chocolate chip cookie bars
Ingredients:
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
- Italian sausage – Mild, spicy or sweet. You can use whatever Italian sausage style you prefer. I normally use sweet because I love that extra fennel flavor.
- Nutritional yeast – This is my dairy free alternative for parmesan cheese in this recipe. It blends nicely into the “sauce”, but you can use vegan parmesan (or if you can have dairy, feel free to use cheese).
- Broccoli – Fresh broccoli is best here. If you need to use frozen, it will not need as long to cook. I would only add it in the last two minutes or so.
Melissa’s tips for recipe success:
- My trick for adding fresh broccoli to any pasta dish – instead of cooking the broccoli separately, add it to the pot about 4-5 minutes before the pasta is supposed to be done (check the package instructions). Strain the pasta and the broccoli together, and you’ll have less dishes to do.
Frequently asked questions
More pasta recipes you’ll love: sesame noodles / butternut squash pasta sauce / penne bolognese / shrimp fettuccine / pasta fresca
Italian Sausage Pasta with Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 pound farfalle pasta
- 1 head broccoli, chopped
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, *see notes
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. In a large pot, bring salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the farfalle according to package directions, adding the broccoli to the pot 4 minutes before straining.
- Brown the sausage. Heat a large, nonstick skillet to medium-high. Add the sausage meat and brown, breaking it into small pieces. Continue cooking, stirring as needed until the sausage is golden brown and caramelized.
- Make the sauce. Add olive oil, garlic and crushed red pepper. Reduce heat and continue cooking until the pasta is ready. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before straining the pasta and broccoli.
- Toss everything together. Add broccoli and farfalle to the skillet – adding 1/4 cup of pasta water at a time until the sauce has reached the right consistency. Stir in the nutritional yeast before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this? Leave a comment below!
Recipe inspired by Everyday Italian: 125 Simple and Delicious Recipes.
I have made this so many times. It is delicious. My only sub is parmesan for the nutritional yeast as I always have parm on hand. Wonderful week night meal that comes together quickly. After making it a few times, I felt like my big cast iron skillet was finally seasoned enough to toss it all together in that pan and oh my, it got even better!!! Thank you 🙂
Great, simple weeknight meal. It’s a great recipe to start with as so much can be done with it. I added onions for a couple minutes before adding in garlic. Also, added broccoli to sausage mixture to cook instead of boiling it. Loved the spice from red peppers. Definite hit with the family. Will make again!
I really liked it! I expected it to be kind of dry without a “sauce” but I wasn’t really missing a sauce because it was so flavorful! I subbed turkey sausage and also did parmesan instead of the yeast. Super easy, quick weeknight dinner!
Made this for dinner tonight. It was very flavorful. I halved the recipe as it was two of us. You know how pasta absorbs the liquid then it’s kinda of dry the next day. Halving was a good decision. I followed suggestions on timing of broccoli and onion addition. My addition was a generous pinch of fresh herbs to oil. I understand adding the pasta water to your desired consistency, I added one cup to half the recipe and thought it was just right in turns of sauce consistency. Thanks for this simple yet flavorful pasta dinner.
Could I use chickpea pasta?
You can use whatever pasta you like. Follow the package instructions for al denté and the recipe should work just fine!
This is a staple in our home! I’m dairy free so I love this option with nutritional yeast. Sooo good, the whole fam loves
I was a little hesitant but this turned out great. Unfortunately I had to leave out the red pepper flakes for our kids. I’m not the biggest fan of italian sausage but I will be trying this again, possibly with ground turkey or leaving out the meat and serving it with grilled chicken on top. Plenty of ways to play around with it!
Tasteless 🙁 I was really excited to give this recipe a try and I have a newly discovered dairy intolerance. It wasn’t very good and I will not be making it again.
I have made this delicious recipe several times and will definitely make again…so quick and easy! My husband and I are the only ones in our home. Rather than half the recipe, is it ok to freeze the leftovers?