Orecchiette with Sausage & Rapini

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add the chopped rapini and cook 1-2 minutes until crisp tender. Remove the rapini from the water and drain. Set aside.
2. Cook orecchiette pasta in the same salted water to al dente and reserve 1 cup pasta water. Then drain pasta and set aside.
3. In a large skillet or pot, heat 3 tbsp olive oil over medium heat. Once warm, add sausage (that’s been removed from the casing) and cook for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through, breaking into smaller pieces as it cooks.
4. Add minced garlic and chili flakes (if desired) and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute.
5. Then, stir in rapini with a pinch of pepper, 1/2 tsp salt and toss to combine. Cook for a few minutes.
6. Finally, stir in the cooked orecchiette pasta and ½ cup of pasta water. Stir and then add in the ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to combine and then remove from the heat. If desired, add more pasta water to achieve your desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasonings with more salt and pepper. Serve with more grated parmesan cheese if you prefer.