Broccoli bolognese with orecchiette

Broccoli and sausage pair up for an indulgent veg-heavy pasta dinner. We generally use sweet Italian sausage, but like any legit weeknight meal, the recipe is flexible, so play around with your favorite style.

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Cook broccoli in a large pot of salted boiling water until crisp-tender, about
   3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer broccoli to a colander and let cool (save pot of water for cooking pasta). Chop broccoli into small pieces; set aside.
2. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook garlic, shaking skillet occasionally, until it starts to turn golden, about
   2 minutes. Transfer garlic to a small bowl. Cook sausage and a generous pinch of red pepper flakes, breaking up meat into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon and stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through,
   6-8 minutes.
3. Bring reserved pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until barely al dente, about
   9 minutes (set a timer for
   3 minutes less than the package instructions; it will cook more in the skillet).
4. Meanwhile, ladle about ½ cup pasta cooking liquid from pot into skillet with sausage and add garlic and blanched broccoli. Keep mixture at a low simmer, stirring often and mashing with a potato masher to break up sausage even more, until pasta is finished cooking.
5. Using a spider or slotted spoon, transfer pasta to skillet, then ladle in ½ cup pasta water. Cook, stirring, until pasta absorbs most of the liquid and is just al dente, about
   4 minutes. Add butter and stir until melted, then transfer pasta to a large bowl. Gradually add 40 g Parmesan, tossing constantly until you have a glossy, emulsified sauce.
6. Serve pasta topped with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes and a drizzle of oil.