Pasta With Spicy Sausage, Broccoli Rabe and Chickpeas
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 to 6 servings
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1½pounds broccoli rabe or broccoli, chopped, tough stems discarded, or hearty greens like kale or escarole
- 1pound shaped pasta, such as campanelle or orecchiette
- 2tablespoons olive oil
- 1pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed, or sweet Italian sausage, ground pork or turkey
- 3garlic cloves, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- ½cup dry white wine or chicken stock
- 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas or other white beans, rinsed and drained
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½cup grated Parmesan or pecorino, plus more for serving
- 1lemon, zested and juiced
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
768 calories; 33 grams fat; 12 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 82 grams carbohydrates; 11 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 34 grams protein; 915 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Roughly chop the broccoli rabe, add it to the pot, and cook for 3 minutes. Use a sieve or slotted spoon to lift the broccoli rabe from the water and place it in a colander to drain.
- Step 2
Bring the water back to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta.
- Step 3
Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or deep, 12-inch skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. (Don’t worry if the sausage is not completely cooked through.) Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Step 4
Add the wine and cook, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pan, until the wine is reduced by half, about 1 minute.
- Step 5
Add the broccoli rabe, chickpeas, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the sausage is cooked through and the broccoli rabe is very tender, about 3 minutes.
- Step 6
Add the pasta and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water, toss well, and cook over low heat until the sauce comes together, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add additional pasta water, a few tablespoons at a time, if needed for moisture.
- Step 7
Remove the pan from the heat, add the butter, Parmesan, lemon zest and lemon juice, and toss until the butter is melted. Divide pasta among shallow bowls and top with additional cheese sprinkled on top.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Adam
Made this a handful of times with different kinds greens. Always delicious, but rabe or broccolini work best, imh. Go heavy on the lemon. Tip: chop the veg after blanching--much easier to get out of the pot that way!
Justine
Loved this! It was flavorful, hearty, comforting, and I appreciated the kick of green from the broccoli rabe. I also liked the addition of the chickpeas, as did my boyfriend. I agree with another poster that the 1lb of pasta was too much, next time I will cook less.
Amy
Used beyond meat sausages which was fabulous for the vegetarian palate. I would decrease the pasta next time. And there is no such thing as enough rappini...I used 2 big bunches and would have been happy with more!
Toby Bilanow
Great variation on a classic! I used chickpeas imported from Italy (a brand called Bioitalia) that were somehow sitting in my pantry. They were smaller and denser than American chickpeas and nest nicely into the orechette shells, like pearls.
Barbara
I’ve made an almost identical dish to this for years. But I use roasted pieces of parsnip instead of chickpeas. The sweetness of the parsnip is a nice contrast to the broccoli rabe.
Sandra
Used spinach wrapped in the last stage, had a heavy hand on red pepper flakes plus added some artichoke hearts, otherwise followed the recipe and it was a winner!
amgboop
Delicious. I made it to the letter, almost... would add a whole nother can of chickpeas, they got lost in the shuffle. A quick glug of heavy cream at the end would not be unwelcome; also be generous with salt and throw in some crushed red pepper. A keeper.
Candice
Made this tonight with rigatoni (only pasta on hand), baby broccoli, and spicy bulk Chorizo sausage from Whole Foods. Chorizo flavor offsets the strong taste of chickpeas and eliminated need for garlic. Used only pasta water (no wine). Added in large diced red pepper for color. Lemon (zest and juice), Parmesan and butter rounded out the dish nicely. We were pleasantly surprised with the result. Will definitely make again.
Paula
This dish is Amazing. Didn’t make any changes in ingredients (which is unusual for me) and it’s just delicious. Served with garlic bread and a simple green salad and a nice bottle of red.
AJ
I made this according to the recipe but didn’t add salt. Between the salted pasta water, sausage and the Parmesan, didn’t need more salt. Delicious traditional Italian dish and the lemon adds a delightful zing
Kara S
Really flavorful! I used 12 oz of orecchiette rather than a full pound (as suggested by other commenters!) and thought it was the perfect ratio of meat/veggies to pasta.
Kate
This was a hit with my family tonight! We are vegetarian so I substituted Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo for the spicy sausage. I used regular broccoli that I got in our CSA box. I didn’t have white wine and I thought it wouldn’t go well with the chorizo so I used red wine instead. I left out the lemon, but kept the butter and Parmesan. Basically, I tried to use what I had on hand and what would make sense.
Adamico7
Highlights from other cooks that worked for me: Reduce pasta (1/2 lb worked for me) Go Light on added salt (sausage chicken broth parm is enough) A few knobs of butter at the end transform the sauce Don’t be precious with your greens: use what you have; chop; enjoy.
MK
Really good and so quick! I skipped the garlic because I was using heavily seasoned sausage. Used orecchiette - next time I need to use a bigger pot with more water because they clumped together a bit. I really liked the addition of the chickpeas for an extra hot of protein fiber, plus the flavor and texture. I was skeptical about the lemon but it really makes the sauce! Served on a bed of hearty micro greens to add some additional veg, and the heat of the pasta softened them up. Really good!
Karen NBvW
THIS vegan has been making exact same for MANY years! Now when plant based subs are so plentiful & avaliable most anywhere it's even better! Suggest TJ's vegan Parm (comes nicely shredded) &/or Violife's wedge (black wraper) that is absolutly indistingushable from the 'real' thing! As stated in another comment Beyond Sasuage is great but I'll stick w'the long time brand "Field Roast" unless one needs to be GF! Their Chipolti is faboulas for 'heat' & their Italian has great fennel flavor!
Lara
Made exactly as written & really excellent. I ended up adding more broth as I liked it a bit soupier. Next time I might only add lemon zest & not juice. The beans were a bit mealy so I might pre-cook in some broth. I’ve frozen some for a work lunch next week! Very easy to make & inexpensive. A ! Delicious
HM
I have made this many times as written but tonight put it over separately cooked farro. It was so good!
Sjoerd
If your supermarket only has boring pork sausages like mine, add a teaspoon of fennel seeds to the on at step 4.
:)
I think this recipe may have healed my soul :’) I subbed some surplus kale grown by my students for broccoli rabe (did not blanch) and used cannellini beans instead of chickpeas. I also used rigatoni and I don’t think I can explain to you the bliss of eating a lil rigatoni with a cannellini bean nestled inside of it. It came together so quickly and I could not stop feeling joy while I ate it. Please!! Let yourself feel this joy!!
Dayle
My house guest made a fun variation of this recently. Half the pasta, added a tin of chopped tomatoes & 4 cups of beef stock. Served with some rustic baguette to soak up the spicy soup.
Molly
My market had no rapini so I used a combination of broccoli and kale. I put the kale into the boiling water for the last minute of the three minute cooking time. Delicious recipe.
live your life
Loved by all including my toddler. I used broccolini, orecchiette, Pinot Grigio, mild Italian chicken sausage and followed the recipe closely. If I were to nitpick, chick peas seemed a bit out of place so I might try cannellini beans next time. Used lots of pasta water, probably more than a cup and it’s always necessary to put more than you think is appropriate while it’s hot. A bit fussy for a quick meal but was worth it. Love the tip to cut veggies after blanching - would heed next time.
sf cook
Meh.. followed the recipe and even added red pepper flakes. bland and uninteresting, not doing this one again.
Wendy
Used seitan and crisped it up, didn’t have enough rabe so threw in chard the lemon is magic!! Vegan butter all else the same and it was oh so yummy
would have way more broccolini
Felt like the pasta to broccolini ratio was off
Tay W
MAKE THIS. I didn’t have broccoli rabe on hand so instead just threw in the kale in my fridge, together with the chickpeas (shortened the cooking time!) As another person said, I didn’t add more salt because between the spicy sausage, heavily salted pasta water and Parmesan, you’re pretty set. Otherwise I followed it to a T. And wow, automatic staple in my recipe box. The flavors get even better the more they sit… GREAT leftovers.
SK19118
Very delicious! Made as described except omitted chickpeas because I didn’t have any/ I think we liked it better that way. Used 3/4 lb of pasta (made whole pound and stopped adding when proportions were right). Made it all in one pot. Topped with ricotta and breadcrumbs left over from orzo with asparagus.
Tannie B
Delicious! I used broccoli and chopped it up to be about the size of the chickpeas. Then instead of boiling it in the water I steamed it which made getting it out of the pot much easier (my cooking tools are currently limited), though this might have affected the water for pasta boiling.
Pat
We used sweet sausage, next time we shall use hot and two cans of garbanzo beans. There will be a next time because the boys loved it.
Beth
Did a mix of the last of the broccoli and kale from the garden, reduced the amt of pasta to what would fit in the dutch over b/c it was FULL. Used Field Roast Italian sausage and added red pepper flakes for spiciness. Delicious! And plenty for leftovers tomorrow.
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