Orecchiette with Chicken Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

By Gina-4

We cut calories and fat in this Italian dish by reducing the amount of pasta but bumped up the flavor by using extra-virgin olive oil, vinegar, and a generous amount of broccoli rabe.

Ingredients

• coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 bunches (2 pounds total) broccoli rabe, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 8 ounces orecchiette or other short pasta
• 2 precooked Italian chicken or turkey sausages (6 ounces total), cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli rabe, and cook until bright green, about 1 minute. Using a wire skimmer or small sieve, transfer to a colander set over a bowl to catch drips (a few bits may remain in cooking water); set aside. Return water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Drain and return to pot.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add sausage; cook, without turning, until browned, about 4 minutes. Add broccoli rabe, vinegar, and garlic. Cook until broccoli rabe is tender, scraping up browned bits in skillet, 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add pasta and oil to broccoli rabe mixture. Season with salt and pepper; toss to combine. Serve.


Cook's Note

Broccoli rabe is a slightly bitter-tasting cousin to cabbage and is a good match for Italian recipes, especially pasta. Quickly boiling it tones down its bite without losing many nutrients.