Cooking with Less: Orecchiette with Sausage and Broccoli for #SundaySupper

I know I've hit a home run with a meal when as we're eating it both My Director and Peanut say they want to take it for lunch the next day. This is one of those meals. It fills all of my prerequisites: quick, easy, healthy (relatively), and inexpensive. It also fills another important criteria: it passes on a tradition. This is my updated, healthier version of my mom's cavatelli and broccoli. I've made this for her as well, and she also approves. I love that three generations of Italians in my family (and my lovely WASP wife) can sit at my table and enjoy this meal together.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. sweet Italian sausage (about 5 medium links)
• 2 heads broccoli crowns, chopped
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, separated
• 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
• 6-8 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 lb. orecchiette pasta
• salt & pepper to taste
• crushed red pepper to taste
• grated Pecorino Romano to taste

Preparation:

• Before you cook, you need to shop. Make sure you're using good sausage. Get it at an Italian butcher or some other place you trust. I say Italian butcher because a) I'm Italian and b) butchers can also be German, Jewish, Polish, etc. and their sausage may not taste the same.
• Yes, every time I say or see the word "sausage," I chuckle. And when My Director says it, I guffaw then say something inappropriate if Peanut's not around.
• Heat your grill to high. (You can also broil the sausage.)
• Go back inside, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add broccoli, turning every minute or so until it's coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Let broccoli cook for 5-10 minutes until it starts to get tender. Lower the heat a bit.
• Put the sausages on the grill. Make sure you've poked a few holes in them with your grill fork so they don't explode. Turn the heat down to medium high. Cover.
• Go back inside and put 6 cups of water on to boil for the pasta. Salt the water. Meanwhile, add the other tablespoon of olive oil and the garlic to the broccoli. Stir. Turn heat back up to medium. Stir every few minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't stick to the pan. When the garlic browns a bit, add chicken stock. Reduce heat to low. Cover.
• Turn the sausage. Keep lid open and let cook for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover.
• Pour your orecchiette into the water. Cook it 10-12 minutes. You want it to be a little al dente. 
• The sausage is ready. Turn off your grill, remove the sausage. Slice it in 1/4-1/2 inch pieces. Or crumble it if you're feeling adventurous. Add the sausage and whatever drippings to the broccoli pan. Stir.
• When the pasta is finished, add it to the broccoli and sausage mixture. Sprinkle in some more salt and pepper. Stir. Cover and cook another 5-10 minutes. 
• Serve with with crushed red pepper and Pecorino Romano to taste.
• Prep time: 35-40 minutes.

Making it Peanut-friendly:

• My Director uses way too much salt on her food. To compensate, I DON'T use a lot of salt when I cook. So when I say "sprinkle salt and pepper" or "to taste," I mean as YOU usually might. 
• She also doesn't like spicy food. (Or "picey" as Peanut calls it.) So I keep the crushed red pepper separate. If your family can take the heat, go ahead and add it at the end.
• Peanut loves orecchiette because it "looks like little hats." My butcher - sorry, my Italian butcher - suggested this type of pasta for this dish a while back because those little hats collect little bits of broccoli and sausage and make every bite even more delicious.
• Make enough for leftovers because your family will want to take it for lunch on Monday. This recipe fed the three of us. (Two bowlfuls each for me and My Director.) And we still had two servings for lunch. 

Thanks to Isabel from Family Foodie for inviting me to the table for #SundaySupper. You can check out all of the great recipes every week by following that hashtag on Twitter. Here are the rest of the great dishes for this week, inspired by everyone's heritage:

• Scotch Eggs and Brotchen Rolls – The Meltaways
• Apple Kuchen – Mrs. Mama Hen
• Spaghetti Carbonara – Katherine Martinelli
• Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash – Make Dinner Easy
• Potato and Spinach Knishes – The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
• German Potato Salad – Magnolia Days
• Sausage and Broccoli with Orecchiette – Daddy Knows Less
• Chicken Enchiladas Suizas – The Weekend Gourmet
• Strawberry Tiramisu – Chocolate Moosey
• Chocoflan – Juanita’s Cocina
• Egg Liqueur Cake – The German Foodie
• Rasmalai (Ricotta in Sweet Coconut Milk with Almonds and Pistachio) – Sue’s Nutrition Blog
• Mediterranean Couscous Salad – In the Kitchen With KP
• Rouladen – Midlife Road Trip
• Lemon Balm Roasted Chicken and Rum Raising Cupcakes with Maple Frosting – What Smells So Good?
• Keftikas (Turkish Meat and Leek Patties) – The Little Ferraro Kitchen
• Croque Monsieur with a Béchamel sauce – The Daily Dish Recipes
• Momma’s Meat Pie with Poutine Sauce – Momma’s Meals
• Polish Rustic Plum Tart – Comfy Cuisine
• Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes) – Cositas Bonitas
• Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding – The Lovely Pantry
• Borscht Shooters – Cookistry
• Shepard’s Pie – Big Bear’s Wife
• Parsnip Cakes – Mama’s Blissful Bites
• Roasted Curried Vegetables – Hot Curries & Cold Beer
• Portuguese Mussels and Shrimp in a Chorizo Sauce – Family Foodie
• Kalbi Steak Kimchi Grilled Cheese – Damn Delicious
• Wine pairings for all the recipes – ENOFYLZ