Orecchiette with Rapini, Sausage, and Cannellini Beans
Bitter greens • spicy sausage • creamy beans • glossy olive oil
Ingredients
- • ½–1 lb orecchiette pasta
- • Extra virgin olive oil
- • 1–2 lb Italian sausage
- • 1 big bunch rapini (broccoli rabe)
- • 1–2 cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- • 2–3 cloves garlic, chopped
- • Fresh chili pepper or dried crushed red pepper
- • White wine (or pasta water / chicken stock)
- • Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or Pecorino)
- • Freshly ground black pepper
- • Sea salt
Method
- 1
Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil.
- 2
Chop the garlic. Chop the rapini.
- 3
Pan-fry the sausage in a little extra virgin olive oil, breaking it into small pieces.
- 4
Drop the orecchiette into the boiling water and cook until al dente.
- 5
Grate Parmigiano Reggiano and set aside.
- 6
Remove sausage from pan
- 7
In the sausage pan, add a little more olive oil. Lightly sauté the garlic and chili flakes/pepper.
- 8
After roughly 1 minute, add the rapini. Season with a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper and sauté until mostly wilted.
- 9
Add the sausage back in along with the beans.
- 10
Add a splash of white wine (or pasta water / chicken stock). Crank up the heat and stir.
- 11
Drain the pasta and toss it into the pan. Add a couple swigs of olive oil and mix until everything is coated.
- 12
Finish with Parmigiano Reggiano (or pecorino or whatever) on top and more freshly ground black pepper.
