This Cavatelli with Italian Sausage and Broccoli is a simple pasta dish that satisfies the heartiest of appetites. It’s a busy weeknight lifesaver! Minimal ingredients, easy cleanup and just delicious!
A handful of ingredients, totally delish and minimal clean up, this Cavatelli with Italian Sausage and Broccoli is a family fave around these parts.
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
It’s light, yet fully loaded! It’s got a generous helping of Italian sausage and loads of broccoli to get in your daily dose of greens.
I love using cavatelli pasta for this dish and hot Italian sausage because we like things spicy at our house. I also add in some red pepper flakes which is totally optional if you’re not a fan of spicy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- broccoli
- kosher salt and pepper
- Italian sausage
- olive oil
- garlic cloves
- cavatelli pasta
- low-sodium chicken broth
- butter
- Parmesan cheese
- crushed red pepper flakes
Step-By-Step Instructions
The first step is to blanch your broccoli florets in a pot of boiling water. You’ll save the hot water in the pot for later to cook your pasta. You will transfer the broccoli to a colander to cool while you prepare the Italian sausage.
The second step is to add the olive oil and garlic to a large, deep skillet over medium heat and cook the garlic until it’s fragrant and golden brown. Then I remove it to a small bowl and add the Italian sausage to the skillet. You’ll cook the sausage until it’s no longer pink and lightly browned, breaking it up into smaller pieces as it cooks. This usually take about 7-8 minutes.
Next up, while the Italian sausage is cooking you can bring your pot of water back to a boil and cook your pasta just short of al dente according to the package directions. The pasta will cook more in the skillet later.
For the last step, you’ll roughly chop your broccoli and add it to the skillet with the Italian sausage as well as the garlic, drained pasta and chicken broth and cook until most of the broth is absorbed before adding the butter and Parmesan cheese. Before serving just season with a bit of salt and pepper and serve with extra freshly grated Parmesan cheese and dinner is served guys!
This is such an easy dish to throw together on a busy night. No need for a salad because your greens are right in with the pasta. Maybe just a loaf of garlic bread and a nice glass of wine.
Please let me know if you give the recipe a try. And if you have any questions about the recipe, just drop a comment below. Enjoy!
A Few Cook’s Notes for Cavatelli with Italian Sausage and Broccoli
You can use either sweet or hot Italian sausage for this recipe.
If you don’t have cavatelli, you can use another short pasta, like penne for example.
When you blanch your broccoli, you just want to blanch it for about 4 minutes so it’s still a bit crunchy.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes to Enjoy
Cavatelli with Italian Sausage and Broccoli
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 6 cups broccoli florets
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb. fresh Italian sausage, sweet or hot, removed from the casings
- 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes, optional
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 oz. cavatelli pasta
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 Tbsp. butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 4 minutes, until still somewhat crisp. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon to a colander to cool. Turn burner off, but leave water in pot to cook pasta later.
- In a large deep skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often until lightly golden, about two minutes. Remove to a small bowl. Add the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook until lightly browned and no longer pink, breaking up into smaller pieces as it's cooking, about 7-8 minutes.
- Bring the reserved water in the pot to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, roughly chop the cooled broccoli and then add to the skillet with the sausage over medium heat. Add the garlic and mix until well combined. Season with kosher salt and pepper.
- Drain the pasta and add to the skillet. Add the chicken broth and cook until most of the broth is absorbed. Add the butter and stir until melted and heated through, then add the Parmesan cheese and stir until well combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately in bowls with additional grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Just came across this recipe. Absolutely fantastic. My boyfriend, who is extreemly picky, and hardly ever compliments my cooking actually said, “This is really good, was it hard to make?” I almost fell over. Hallelujah, this is one for the books. The only thing I did differently was add cubed chicken with the sausage. So tender, creamy and good. I will check out your other recipes for more awesome meals. Thank you.
Hallelujah is right Cindy! So glad you both enjoyed it! Thanks so much for checking out the blog!
Delicious! This is one of my favorite meals. Thank you!!
So happy you enjoy it Ellen! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. Happy New Year!