Penne with Broccoli Rabe and Sausage
It’s the combination of bitter broccoli rabe and hot sausage that makes this one of the greatest Italian-American dishes. My mother began making this when my Uncle Joe became a butcher and could provide an unlimited supply of his own handmade pork-and-fennel sausages. It’s still one of my favorites of Mama’s dishes. Here I use whole-wheat penne and low-fat turkey sausage—but the rest I left just like Mama’s.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions, about 9 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli rabe. Stir, and continue to cook until both pasta and broccoli rabe are tender. Drain.
Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, heat a very large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until it is golden brown and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a colander and set it aside to drain.
Step 3
Wipe the pan out lightly and return it to medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook until it is fragrant and just beginning to turn golden, about 1 minute. Add the crushed red pepper and the chicken broth, and bring to a simmer. Add the cooked pasta and broccoli rabe, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 1 minute to release some of the starch from the pasta and thicken the sauce. Pour the pasta mixture into a large bowl, and toss it with the cooked sausage and the cheese. Season the pasta with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
healthy tips
Step 4
From the Department of It’s Too Good to Be True, But Is: calorie-free noodles. No, I am not kidding. Shirataki noodles made from konjac flour which comes from the root of the yam-like konjac plant grown in Japan and China.
nutrition information
Step 5
Fat: 78.8g (before), 9.7g (after)
Step 6
Calories: 1,261 (before), 314 (after)
Step 7
Protein: 23g
Step 8
Carbohydrates: 37g
Step 9
Cholesterol: 49mg
Step 10
Fiber: 6g
Step 11
Sodium: 940mg
