Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
Sausage and Broccoli Pasta is hearty and full of flavor, with pasta, sausage, broccoli, and a simple garlic parmesan sauce. We love this classic pasta dish for lazy weeknights and it makes great leftovers too!
Broccoli Pasta
When the boys were little, I made endless batches of mac and cheese for them. But the first time I served this broccoli pasta, they devoured it just as eagerly! Lesson learned: sneak the veggies into something delicious, and they won’t even think about picking them out.
I prefer to leave the broccoli a little bit crisp and the pasta cooked to al dente, but if soft broccoli is more your thing (or if you’re REALLY trying to hide it), just add the florets to the boiling pasta a little bit sooner. Either way, this recipe is a 10/10 in my book (and hopefully yours too)!
For other delicious pasta recipes, try The Ultimate Lasagna Recipe, a simple Summer Pasta Salad, or Baked Feta Pasta with Spinach!
Why this recipe works:
- Minimal ingredients. The main ingredients include pasta, broccoli, sausage, and parmesan cheese. The others are just a few seasonings, garlic, and the pasta water.
- A simple process. Just two pans are needed – one to cook the sausage and then the garlic parmesan sauce and another to cook the pasta. Then you combine them and finish. Trust me, it’s simple!
- Healthier pasta recipe. While pasta includes carbs, this recipe also includes healthy greens (broccoli!) and a lighter parmesan sauce. No heavy cream is needed.
- SO delicious! We love the light flavor of this broccoli pasta and you and your picky eaters will too!
Craving more broccoli recipes? Try our Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry or Broccoli Rice Casserole!
Ingredients Used:
You can keep most of these ingredients stocked in your pantry, and then pick up the fresh items at the last minute.
- Orecchiette Pasta – I love this pasta shape with this recipe, but you could use something else as well.
- Spicy Sausage – Use whatever type of sausage you prefer. I often use a lighter turkey sausage but it’s hard to find at times. This version includes a spicy pork sausage.
- Broccoli – You will need a good portion of three heads (or more, depending on size) of broccoli, but will cut off most of the stems.
- Butter plus Olive Oil – These two ingredients are the base to the easy sauce for this pasta.
- Garlic – The minced garlic adds so much flavor. I recommend using fresh garlic over the powdered version.
- Parmesan Cheese – Use freshly grated parmesan for best results. The fresh stuff actually melts! 😀
- Salt and Pepper – I always use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. You will need plenty of salt for boiling the pasta.
- Pasta Water – THIS is another very important part of this pasta recipe. Make sure you reserve some for the sauce!
- Red Pepper Flakes – An optional ingredient but makes it so good.
How to make Sausage and Broccoli Pasta:
This REALLY is the easiest pasta recipe. The important part is to reserve some pasta water and make sure you add plenty of parmesan cheese.
Step 1
Prep. Cut the broccoli into florets, trimming part of the stems off. Mince the garlic. Freshly shred the parmesan cheese.
Step 2
Brown the sausage. Add a drizzle of olive oil in a stock pot or skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, and cook until sausage is browned and cooked through. Add to a colander to strain out some of the grease. Set aside and wipe out the pan.
Step 3
Cook pasta. Fill a large stock pot about halfway with water. Bring to a boil – and add pasta along with a good amount of salt. The salt is important to flavor the pasta AND the pasta water (that will be used later).
Step 4
Add broccoli. After about 6-7 minutes or when the pasta is nearly done, add the broccoli to the same pot. Cook until broccoli is JUST tender and pasta is al dente – just a few minutes more.
Step 5
RESERVE PASTA WATER and drain. Dip a one-cup measuring cup into the cooked pasta and broccoli to reserve the pasta water. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
Step 6
Make pasta sauce. Heat a pot (we use the pot we used to cook the sausage) over medium-low heat. Add butter and when melted, add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Then add half of the freshly shredded parmesan cheese and about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Stir constantly until cheese is melted.
Add the remaining parmesan, more pasta water, and some red pepper flakes. Stir again until melted. You may need additional pasta water (up to a cup) but make sure you add it gradually.
Step 7
Add pasta, broccoli, and sausage to the sauce. Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, and sausage to the sauce and stir well to coat. (You may want to add more pasta water here.)
Step 8
Serve. Serve broccoli pasta with additional parmesan cheese and extra seasoning as needed.
Store leftover broccoli pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. We like to meal prep this too.
Recipe FAQs:
Spicy Italian sausage gives great flavor, but mild sausage works too. You can use links, crumbled, or even pre-cooked sausage.
Freshly grated parmesan cheese actually melts while the powdered version usually just clumps. We now stick to wedges of parmesan cheese only!
For this recipe, I cooked the pasta for several minutes before adding the broccoli. You want the broccoli to be a bit crisp (not mushy) and the pasta to be al dente.
When you bite into the pasta, and your teeth feel some resistance, but the pasta is still tender, you’ve reached al dente.
We prefer fresh broccoli in this recipe to keep it crisp. In a pinch, you can use frozen. Just thaw slightly or add it a few minutes earlier when cooking, so it doesn’t overcook.
What to serve with Broccoli Pasta:
- Spinach Salad with Avocado and Goat Cheese – This is one of our go-to salad recipes.
- Chewy French Bread – I keep extra loaves in our freezer for meals like this.
- Dessert? How about The Best Peanut Butter Cookies or some Brown Butter Toffee Cookies!
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Sausage and Broccoli Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound spicy pork sausage
- 12 oz. orecchiette pasta – or another type of pasta is fine
- 8-10 cups broccoli florets – trimmed
- 3-4 Tablespoons butter
- 5 cloves garlic – minced
- 6-8 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese – or about 2 cups
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 1 cup reserved pasta water – you may not need all of the pasta water
- red pepper flakes – to serve
Instructions
- Prep. Cut the broccoli into florets, trimming part of the stems off. Mince the garlic. Freshly shred the parmesan cheese.
- Brown the sausage. Add a drizzle of olive oil in a stock pot or skillet over medium heat, add the sausage, and cook until sausage is browned and cooked through. Add to a colander to strain out some of the grease. Set aside and wipe out the pan.1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound spicy pork sausage
- Cook pasta. Fill a large stock pot about halfway with water. Bring to a boil – and add pasta along with a good amount of salt. The salt is important to flavor the pasta AND the pasta water (that will be used later).12 oz. orecchiette pasta
- Add broccoli. After about 6-7 minutes or when the pasta is nearly done, add the broccoli to the same pot. Cook until broccoli is JUST tender and pasta is al dente – just a few minutes more.8-10 cups broccoli florets
- RESERVE PASTA WATER and drain. Dip a one-cup measuring cup into the cooked pasta and broccoli to reserve the pasta water. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander.
- Make pasta sauce. Heat a pot (we use the pot we used to cook the sausage) over medium-low heat. Add butter and when melted, add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Then add half of the freshly shredded parmesan cheese and about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Stir constantly until cheese is melted.Add the remaining parmesan, more pasta water, and some red pepper flakes. Stir again until melted. You may need additional pasta water (up to a cup) but make sure you add it gradually.3-4 Tablespoons butter, 5 cloves garlic, 6-8 oz. freshly grated parmesan cheese, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, 1 cup reserved pasta water, red pepper flakes
- Add pasta, broccoli, and sausage to the sauce. Add the cooked pasta, broccoli, and sausage to the sauce and stir well to coat. (You may want to add more pasta water here.)
- Serve. Serve broccoli pasta with additional parmesan cheese and extra seasoning as needed.
Notes
- Spicy Italian sausage gives great flavor, but mild sausage works too. You can use links, crumbled, or even pre-cooked sausage.
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese actually melts while the powdered version usually just clumps. We now stick to wedges of parmesan cheese only!
- Store leftover broccoli pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. We like to meal prep this too.
This was delicious! Loved the lighter version of the sauce. Will definitely be making this again!
Thanks Jena! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
This recipe is awesome and take advantage of the pro tip….. Serve with the Chewy French Bread!
Yes please! 🙂