Ultimate comfort food: Italian sausage and broccolini with rigatoni

If you're searching for some ultimate comfort food to cook during isolation, look no further! This Italian sausage and broccolini with rigatoni is a very simple pasta recipe, and makes a change from a tomato based sauce. Cosy and delicious and perfect for colder nights in.

Simple pasta recipe

Ingredients (serves 2)⁣

250 grams pasta such as rigatoni, orecchiette, or penne⁣

2 sausages ⁣

5 stems broccolini chopped into 2 inch pieces⁣

1 tsp chilli flakes⁣

Salt for the pasta water⁣

1 minced garlic clove⁣

Olive oil for frying and finishing. ⁣

Grated Parmesan or Romano cheese⁣

Put a pot of salted boiling water on the hob and add the pasta. Cook according to the package instructions but take one minute off the cooking time. ⁣

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Meanwhile, add 1 tbs olive oil in a skillet/large frying pan over medium high heat until the oil is shimmering slightly. Add the sausage by squeezing the meat out of their cases and breaking up into 1 inch pieces. ⁣

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Once browned and cooked through, remove the sausage from the with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess fat. ⁣

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Add the broccolini to the pan and sauté until tender and lightly browned. ⁣

Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 30 seconds and then remove from the heat. Return the sausage to the pan. ⁣

Drain the pasta, reserving 100 ml of the pasta water for finishing the sauce. Add the pasta to broccoli/sausage mixture and return to medium heat. Add half of the pasta water and top with cheese, tossing to form an emulsion of the fat and water and cheese. ⁣

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Serve in warmed bowls, topping with more cheese and black pepper along with a light salad. ⁣

Enjoy!