Rigatoni with Broccoli is an easy weeknight meal, but impressive enough for a special occasion as well. This healthier pasta dish includes broccoli florets and a lean turkey sausage, with a simple sauce made with freshly grated parmesan. Make this one for your family soon!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
Keyword broccoli pasta, rigatoni pasta, rigatoni with broccoli
Prep Time 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time 30 minutesminutes
Total Time 50 minutesminutes
Servings 8servings
Calories 471kcal
Author Sue Ringsdorf
Ingredients
2Tablespoonsolive oil
1poundturkey sausage- removed from casings
4-5clovesgarlic- minced
1poundrigatoni pasta- or another type of pasta is fine
8-10cupsbroccoli florets
2Tablespoonsbutter
6oz.freshly grated parmesan cheese- or about 2 cups
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper- to taste
1cupreserved pasta water
red pepper flakes- to serve
Instructions
PREP. Prepare broccoli by trimming the stems off, and cutting into bite sized pieces. Mince the garlic. Grate the cheese into a measuring cup.
Brown the sausage. Remove the turkey sausage from the casings. Cook in a skillet over medium heat, until done. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or so.
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).
After a few minutes, add the broccoli and bring it to a simmer (slow bubbles). Cook until pasta is al dente.
Drain andRESERVE PASTA WATER. When straining the pasta and broccoli, reserve one cup of pasta water, by placing a bowl under a colander.
Finish pasta dish. Place the sausage back on the stove, and add the strained pasta and broccoli. Add the butter, half of the parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Stir well, and then add additional pasta water (about 1/2 cup more) and another 1/4 cup of the parmesan cheese – and stir again.
Test pasta to see if there is enough salt, pepper, and add red pepper flakes, if desired.
Serve. Serve the pasta with additional parmesan cheese and extra seasoning as needed.
Notes
Freshly grated parmesan cheese actually melts while the powdered version usually just clumps. We now stick to wedges of parmesan cheese only!