Here I’ll show you the easiest and most delicious way to make a classic sausage and broccoli pasta – the perfect hearty family dinner!
I’ve got a few tips and tricks up my sleeve to turn this easy dish into something of restaurant-quality. The best part? It only requires a handful of simple, store-bought ingredients, making it the perfect midweek meal. Follow me…
Sausage Broccoli Pasta Ingredients
I think you’re going to be surprised at just how beautifully this selection of ingredients comes together. The full recipe is in the recipe card, but I’ll just quickly go over why we’re using each ingredient:
- Pasta – Orecchiette is a classic option for sausage and broccoli pasta. The shape captures the sauce and sausage so perfectly. You should find it in some supermarkets/grocery stores, but if not, just sub shells or other short-cut pasta.
- Sausage – I typically squeeze the meat from a pack of sausages, but you could use regular ground sausage meat if you’d prefer.
- Broccoli – I use regular broccoli, but you could use broccolini or broccoli rabe. Just make sure it’s diced into small bite-sized pieces.
- Stock – We’ll use this mainly to cook the broccoli. It’s gently simmered in it right in the pan. It’s much better than water as it gives the broccoli a richer flavour. The excess stock that the broccoli doesn’t absorb is then used as part of the sauce.
- Wine – This is what really gives this pasta the edge. It’s also perfect to use to deglaze the pan after you’ve fried the sausage.
- Butter – This helps create a gorgeous, rich, glossy sauce.
- Chilli Flakes – I love a kick of spice in this recipe. The broccoli and sausage both take on heat really nicely.
- Garlic – A good amount of garlic is needed for a strong flavour-base.
- Parmesan – This offers a boost of savoury flavour to bring everything together.
- Lemon – A generous squeeze of lemon juice really lifts the dish at the end and cuts through the rich, buttery sauce.
How to make Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
The trick with this dish is building layers of flavour, and it all starts with browning the sausage. It’s really important to really caramelise the sausage in the pan and build up a nice golden crust. By doing this, you’ll also create ‘fond‘ in the pan (all those little bits of char and crusted sausage). You can then use the wine to deglaze the pan and collect all that flavour built up in the pan.
Cooking the broccoli in the pan
Another awesome thing about this recipe is that you don’t need to separately cook the broccoli. You can do it right in the pan with some chicken stock. You only need to cook until it’s just about fork tender, because it will carry on cooking as you toss through the pasta.
Creating the sauce
What’s deceiving about this dish is that it looks dry, but it’s absolutely not. It’s got a glossy, buttery sauce that clings so deliciously to the pasta. A key ingredient to help achieve this is the leftover water that the pasta is cooked in. Adding a splash of starchy pasta water will help emulsify the fats in the pan and help bind everything together to create a sauce.
Process shots: add sausage to pan (photo 1), brown then remove (photo 2), fry garlic, chilli flakes and black pepper then deglaze with wine (photo 3), simmer broccoli in stock (photo 4), toss in pasta and sausage then butter and pasta water (photo 5), toss in parmesan and lemon juice (photo 6).
Recipe Tips
- Consistency – if the sauce dries up quickly, just toss through more starchy pasta water. On the contrary, if it’s watery at all, just continue tossing until the sauce thickens and clings to the pasta.
- Salt – the sausage, stock and parmesan should all add a good amount of salt to the dish, so just go easy when seasoning to taste at the end.
- Wine – you can use any cheap wine. I typically buy the small single-use cans or bottles, but whatever you’ve got on hand. Most of, if not all of the alcohol will burn off, but if you can’t use it, then just leave it out.
How to serve Sausage Broccoli Pasta
This will offer 4 hearty portions or 5 modest portions. I typically don’t serve this with any Sides, but if you want to go full comfort, then of course, throw in some Garlic Bread.
For some garnishes, here’s what I recommend:
- Parmesan – an extra helping of parmesan at the end is always welcome.
- Black Pepper/Chilli Flakes – I like a couple of pinches of black pepper or chilli flakes, just to highlight the mild spice in the recipe.
- Lemon Juice – I personally just use this through the sauce, but if you want a squeeze at the end, then go for it.
For more delicious broccoli pasta recipes check out my Chicken & Broccoli Pasta, Broccoli Pesto Pasta and Broccoli Pasta Bake!
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this broccoli sausage pasta shall we?!
How to make Sausage and Broccoli Pasta (Full Recipe & Video)
Sausage and Broccoli Pasta
Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Deep Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Large Pot & Slotted Spoon (for pasta)
- Jug (for stock/pasta water)
- Fine Cheese Grater (for parmesan)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 14oz / 400g Sausage Meat (see notes)
- 10.5oz / 300g Orecchiette (see notes)
- 3 large cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Black Pepper, Chilli Flakes (can adjust both to taste)
- 1/2 cup / 120ml Dry White Wine
- 1 cup / 240ml Chicken Stock
- 9oz / 250g small Broccoli Florets (see notes)
- 4 tbsp / 60g Unsalted Butter, diced into tiny cubes
- 1/2 Lemon, juice only
- 1/2 cup / 40g freshly grated Parmesan, plus more to serve if desired
- Salt, as needed
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and fry until it builds up a golden crust, using your wooden spoon to crumble as you go. Remove the sausage and place in a bowl to one side, leaving the excess fat in the pan.
- At this point you can pop your pasta in salted boiling water and cook until al dente. Don't drain it.
- Lower the pan heat to medium and fry the chilli flakes, black pepper and garlic for 30 seconds or so (be careful it doesn't burn). Pour in the wine, and raise the heat to a rapid simmer. Reduce it down for 4-5 minutes, deglazing the pan with your wooden spoon as needed. It's important to reduce the wine so it doesn't end up too strong. A lot of it should evaporate and the pungent smell of alcohol should vanish.
- Pour in the stock then stir in the broccoli. Simmer and stir occasionally for another 4-5 minutes, or until the broccoli is al dente and the stock has reduced (adjust the heat if you need to).
- Turn the heat to low and use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked pasta straight from the pot into the pan. Add the sausage and give everything a good stir. Scatter over the butter, then pour in a good splash of the leftover pasta water (~1/3 cup). Swiftly stir until the butter melts and emulsifies with the liquid.
- Add a good squeeze of lemon juice and the parmesan and continue stirring until you've got a very light, glossy sauce that clings to the pasta. It shouldn't be watery at all. If it is, continue tossing to thicken and reduce. If it dries out at all, just stir in another splash of pasta water.
- Check for seasoning and adjust if needed, then serve with extra parmesan and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
