A large coil of Italian sausage and broccoli rabe in an oval skillet.

4.34 / 3 votes

Italian Sausage and Broccoli Rabe

This Italian sausage and broccoli rabe is made by pan-frying sausage and sautéing broccolini with oil, garlic, and pepper flakes. A simple and easy weeknight meal.

Prep Time25

Cook Time20

Total Time45

Course: Mains

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: servings

Calories: 823

Ingredients

For the Italian sausage

▢ One (1 1/2 to 2 pound) coil Italian sausage, (or substitute links)
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ Scant 1/4 cup cold water, plus more as needed

For the broccoli rabe

▢ 1 bunch broccoli rabe* (rapini) or broccolini*, (see * below)
▢ 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
▢ 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
▢ 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
▢ Salt, to taste
▢ 1/4 cup cold water

US - Metric

Instructions

Cook the Italian sausage

Prick the sausage in a few places with the tip of a sharp knife to keep the casing from splitting as it cooks.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy, large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and almost all of the water, cover, and cook until the sausage begins to brown on the bottom, about 15 minutes.
Carefully turn the sausage over and, if the skillet is dry, add a splash more water. Cover and continue to cook until the sausage begins to brown on the other side, about 10 minutes.
Uncover and keep cooking until the water evaporates and the sausage is well browned and cooked through, 5 to 10 minutes. (The sausage will brown quickly once the water evaporates. You can nudge the sausage a little here and there during cooking to be certain it doesn't stick to the skillet.)

Cook the broccoli rabe

Meanwhile, trim the thick stems from the broccoli rabe or Broccolini and discard or reserve for another use. Rinse the broccoli rabe or Broccolini and shake off any excess water.
In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook just until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broccoli rabe or broccolini, a generous pinch salt, and the water, cover, and cook, turning the broccoli rabe or broccolini as it begins to wilt, until it's tender but still bright green, about 5 minutes.
Uncover and cook until the water evaporates, 3 to 5 minutes. Drizzle with oil and season to taste with salt.

Serve the Italian sausage and broccoli rabe

Pile the sausage and broccoli rabe together, either moving everything to a skillet and taking that to the table or transferring everything to a platter. Serve warm. (Any leftovers work marvelously when chopped and tossed with freshly cooked pasta.)

Notes

*What You Need To Know About Broccoli Rabe

Broccoli rabe. Rapini. Broccoletti. Broccolini. Pretty much the same thing. Just a public service announcement in case you’re wondering “brocco-what?!” as you wander the produce aisles of your grocery store.

Nutrition