Broccoli Rabe Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage (Zucchini Noodles)
Try this Broccoli Rabe Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage (Zucchini Noodles) recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Broccoli Rabe Pasta with Spicy Italian Sausage (Zucchini Noodles) recipe, or contribute your own.
- salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 zucchinis, blade a
- 2 spicy italian sausage links (or chicken sausage!)
- 1/2 bunch broccoli rabe
- 1 tbsp juice from a lemon (optional)
- pinch of oregano flakes
- 1/2 cup pecorino romano cheese grated
- Carbohydrate 1.7981819665941 g
- Cholesterol 246.353661757999 mg
- Fat 55.7935631606652 g
- Fiber 0.0782999975681305 g
- Protein 65.8368560994143 g
- Saturated Fat 17.6331779826504 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (336g)
- Sodium 637.320916202332 mg
- Sugar 1.71988196902597 g
- Trans Fat 4.15348611824544 g
- Calories 788 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare your broccoli rabe. Rinse the leafs and pat dry. Cut off most of the stems (the thickest parts). Pull off some skin of the stems, using a peeler. Peel until you hit the leaves. Set aside
- Place a large skillet over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch chunks (or remove from caseing and crumble - whatever you prefer) and place into skillet along with the garlic and season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of oregano. Cook for about 3 minutes, flipping over to cook both sides.
- Push the sausage to the side and add the broccoli rabe and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Stir and cook for about 1 minute and then add in the chicken broth, mixing the sausage and broccoli rabe together. Cook until reduced and broccoli rabe is mostly wilted. Then, add in zucchini noodles. Cook for about 2 minutes or until noodles begin to soften.
- Stir in Pecorino Romano cheese and lemon juice (optional) and combine thoroughly.
- Plate onto dishes and enjoy!
Why are these zucchini noodles sitting in a pool of water instead of holding their shape? Zucchini releases vast amounts of free water the moment salt touches its cell walls or heat breaks down its pectin. That moisture threatens to drown the pan, turning a crisp-tender vegetable into grey mush before the meat even browns. Slicing the zucchini into uniform strands and keeping the skillet at a vigorous medium heat allows excess liquid to evaporate instantly rather than boiling the greens. Raw squash noodles demand precisely two minutes of cooking time in a wide skillet, stopping before the strands lose their structural integrity and turn limp.
Broccoli rabe presents a completely different mechanical hurdle with its fibrous stems and bitter exterior. Peeling the tough outer skin off the stems with a vegetable peeler exposes the tender inner flesh so it cooks at the same rate as the delicate leaves. Searing the sliced sausage chunks for three minutes builds crucial fond on the bottom of the pan before any liquid enters. Adding the chicken broth immediately deglazes that fond, creating an emulsion that coats the bitter greens and tempers their sharp edge without requiring heavy cream.
Controlling the sequencing prevents the cheese from breaking into an oily slick. Stirring the grated Pecorino Romano and optional lemon juice in at the very end utilizes residual pan heat to melt the dairy smoothly. Tossing the mixture thoroughly off the direct burner ensures the proteins in the cheese do not tighten into rubbery clumps.
Testing this combination reveals that crowding the pan guarantees failure. Working in a skillet large enough to keep the sausage pieces separated allows proper browning rather than steaming. Salt the meat and aromatics lightly at the start to draw out initial flavors, then adjust seasoning only after the salty cheese melts into the sauce.
