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This hearty Sausage, Broccoli, and Pesto Pasta has all the components of a well-rounded dinner. It comes together in around 30 minutes, making it doable enough for a family dinner any night of the week.
What’s so special about this pasta dish is that the sausage, broccoli, pesto, and ricotta all cook together to create a creamy, nutrient-packed sauce. You’ll finely chop the broccoli so that you get all of the health benefits, but the pieces melt seamlessly into the sauce. To achieve a super glossy sauce, stir in a little bit of starchy pasta water, which will help it to be super creamy and silky. To balance the richness of the sausage and the heat from some Calabrian chiles, a combination of freshly squeezed lemon juice and lemon zest are folded into the pasta, adding a welcome brightness.
I like to use a short-cut brown rice pasta for this dish, such as casarecce or orecchiette, so that the sauce and meat can get in every nook and cranny.
One of the great things about this pasta dish is that it can be adjusted based on your preference. I like to add Calabrian chiles to mine for a little heat, but if I’m serving it to my kiddos, I’ll just leave that out! Don’t want to use sausage? This would also be great with regular ground pork, turkey, or chicken.
Ingredients:
- Kosher Salt
- Short-Cut Brown Rice Pasta
- Bulk Mild Italian Pork Sausage
- Yellow Onion
- Broccoli Florets
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Garlic Cloves
- Calabrian Chiles (optional, for heat)
- Dried Oregano
- Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
- Whole Milk Ricotta
- Store-Bought Basil Pesto
- Finely Grated Lemon Zest
- Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
- Chopped Fresh Basil
- Toasted Pine Nuts
step-by-step:
step one: cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble.
step two: cook the sausage
In a large, tall-sided skillet set over medium-high heat, add the sausage and the onions. Cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes or until a brown crust form on the sausage. If you are using a chicken sausage, you will need to add some oil to the fan, but pork sausage has plenty of fat where you shouldn’t need any.
Break the meat into crumbles and cook until the meat is no longer pink, 3 to 4 more minutes. Drain off excess fat, reserving at least 2 tablespoons in the skillet, keeping the onions and sausage in the skillet.
step three: make the sauce
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the broccoli, salt, and pepper to the skillet and continue to cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes until slightly softened.
Add the garlic, Calabrian chiles (if using), oregano, and lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
step four: add the pasta
Reduce the heat to low. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add the ricotta, pesto, lemon zest, and about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Stir to combine, allowing the ricotta and pesto to slowly melt into the sauce. If needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup of pasta water to make the sauce a little creamier and saucier, until the pasta is glossy and well coated in the sauce. Once combined, add the Parmesan and stir until just melted. Taste and add more salt, if desired.
step five: garnish and serve
Serve in shallow bowls and top with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, and extra Parmesan.
recipe faqs:
The Calabrian chiles add a nice kick, but you can definitely leave them out if you’re not a fan of spicy dishes. You could also use crushed red pepper flakes instead for a slightly less intense heat. Want to make it really spicy? Use hot Italian sausage meat instead of mild!
This would be great with cottage cheese instead of ricotta, which would also bulk up the protein content!
I hope your family loves this Sausage, Broccoli, and Pesto Pasta as much as mine does. Comment below when you try it and let me know what you think!
looking for more nutritious pasta recipes? try these!
Sausage and Kale Tortellini Bake
Saucy Green Pasta with Calabrian Breadcrumbs
Sausage, Broccoli, and Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
For the Pasta:
- Kosher salt
- 12 ounces short-cut brown rice pasta, such as casarecce or orecchiette
For the Sausage:
- 1 pound bulk mild Italian pork sausage
- 1 cup diced yellow onion, from about 1/2 of a large onion
For the Sauce:
- 12 ounces broccoli florets, finely chopped (about 3 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon minced Calabrian chiles, optional
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup store-bought basil pesto
- 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
For Garnish:
- Chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
Instructions
For the Pasta:
- Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Set aside until you’re ready to assemble.
For the Sausage:
- In a large, tall-sided skillet set over medium-high heat, add the sausage and the onions. Cook, undisturbed, for 4 minutes or until a brown crust form on the sausage.
- Break up the meat into crumbles and cook until it’s no longer pink, 3 to 4 more minutes. Drain off excess fat, reserving at least 2 tablespoons in the skillet, keeping the onions and sausage in the skillet.
Make the Sauce:
- Reduce the heat to medium. In the same skillet, add the broccoli, salt, and pepper and continue to cook, undisturbed, for about 2 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add the garlic, Calabrian chiles (if using), oregano, and lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and stir to combine. Add the ricotta, pesto, lemon zest, and about 1/4 cup of pasta water. Stir to combine, allowing the ricotta and pesto to slowly melt into the sauce. If needed, add the remaining 1/4 cup of pasta water to make the sauce a little creamier and saucier until the pasta is glossy and well coated in the sauce. Once combined, add the Parmesan and stir until just melted. Taste and add more salt, if desired.
- Serve in shallow bowls and top with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts, and extra Parmesan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
We made this last night and it was SUPER yummy! It was quick and easy to prep with minimal chopping. I didn’t add the chilis because I was worried about spice, but next time I will add them in for a little kick!! I also did the cottage cheese instead of the ricotta cheese and it worked out perfectly!! Thank you Alex for that tip, always love adding more protein!
So yummy! I used cottage cheese since we already had some in the fridge, and the casarecce pasta is perfect for this dish. My 13 month old devoured it too!
Hi, do you have a recommended sub for sausage?
It depends what you’re going for, but you could toss in some shredded cooked rotisserie chicken instead!
This was so delicious and flavorful. Easy weeknight meal!
This was SO yummy and so easy! Loved it, thank you!
So so good!! I love all of the flavors together and you don’t even notice the broccoli, but still get the health benefit!!
Right! Perfect for little ones too 🙂
This was delicious! I used the cottage cheese instead of the ricotta for the extra protein and it was a huge hit! Thank you!
Great swap! So glad you liked it!
This was so good! I subbed shallots for onion and it turned out amazing, will definitely be in the rotation!
Love a shallot — glad you enjoyed!
Love! This recipe is straightforward, minimal chopping, and so tasty! Just make sure you use a BIG skillet, it makes a lot of food!!
Alex, this sounds delicious! What would you recommend as a dairy-free sub for the ricotta? Thank you!
Kite Hill makes a dairy-free almond milk ricotta!