30-Minute Sausage and Broccolini Pasta Recipe

This sausage and broccolini pasta is a hearty pasta dish that’s perfect for busy weeknights or lazy entertaining with good friends and big glasses of wine. A light lemon sauce with a slight kick, sweet anise flavor and briny capers score it major points in the flavor department. It’s become a favorite in our house, and I hope it will be in yours too!

We are big fans of easy pasta recipes in this house. I just love how pasta dinners don’t have to be complicated to taste good. But it can also be easy to fall back into the whole spaghetti and meatball combo. So, if you’re looking for another pasta dish to add to your easy meal rotation, here you go. 

Why You’ll Love This Easy Recipe

• It’s Hearty & Comforting,
• Versatile,
• While being unexpected,
• And still a great way to add nutrients to your family’s diet,
• In a quick meal!

Tips That’ll Take This Recipe Over the Top

• Pasta water: Pasta water plays an essential role in this dish. Not only does the pasta water actually make up part of the sauce, but it can be used to reconstitute the sauce if it dries out at all. I’ve provided the amount I used as the base for this recipe, but whenever a recipe calls for pasta water, I always pull out an extra ½-1 cup just in case. 
• Pasta water substitutes: If you run out of pasta water for the sauce, you can always add a bit of chicken or veggie broth… or even water in a pinch. 
• Experiment with pasta shapes: For this recipe, I like a long noodle that can catch the bits of sausage but also hold their own against the long pieces of broccolini and onion. I have used bucatini and pappardelle in this recipe, but I’d also recommend tagliatelle or fettuccine noodles.  
• Cook Until Al Dente: Be careful not to overcook your pasta because it will continue to cook when you add it to the sausage and broccolini with the butter/oil, pasta water and lemon. 
• Capers: Capers add so much flavor; they compliment the lemon, cut through the sausage, and contrast with the broccoli. If capers aren’t your thing (or you don’t have any), try sliced, green olives or even a bit of anchovy paste. 
• Broccolini or broccoli… that is the question: Honestly, you can use either. But, I chose tender broccolini for this recipe because broccolini requires less prep work. I think I needed to slice two stalks in half. Everything else was ready to go straight from the bag I bought it in.
• What about frozen broccoli? To convert this into the perfect pantry meal, you can swap fresh broccolini or regular broccoli florets for frozen. It will change the texture of the overall pasta dish though, so I don’t recommend swapping for frozen broccoli if you are cooking to impress.

Main Ingredients for Sausage and Broccolini Pasta

Don’t let the long ingredient list overwhelm you. This is an easy summer pasta dish that you can adapt based on whatever you happen to have in your pantry.

• Pasta: I like a long noodle pasta like bucatini or pappardelle for this dish because the long, thick noodles hold their own against the long stems of the broccolini and still catch bits of ground sausage. If you want to use short variety like orecchiette pasta, penne or bowtie pasta, I recommend using chopped broccolini in the recipe, which will also affect the amount of time the broccolini needs to cook.
• Broccolini: Broccolini, or baby broccoli, is what I prefer using to make this recipe. It’s a great way to add calcium, magnesium, fiber and vitamin A to your diet, among other things. Not to be confused with broccoli rabe, broccolini tends to be slightly sweeter and more tender than broccoli, so your kids, or possible other broccoli haters in the house, may like broccolini more than regular broccoli. And finally, it’s easier to prep than broccoli because the stalks aren’t as fibrous. 
• Pork sausage meat: This recipe uses ground sausage. You can also swap for mild Italian sausage. If you prefer a little heat, you can use a spicy Italian sausage or add a bit of extra red pepper flakes to the ground sausage as instructed in the recipe. I’ve also used ground turkey for this recipe with success if you want to lighten this dish up. 
• Onion: For this recipe, I use Vidalia onion because it’s slightly sweeter than yellow onion. But you can substitute for yellow or even red onion, which is fun because of the colors you get in the dish!
• Garlic: In this recipe, I like sliced garlic. I like to think of getting this big hits of flavor as you eat this pasta. 
• Capers: The brininess of the capers really adds tons of flavor to this dish, but if you are looking to substitute the capers for another ingredient, try olives or even anchovy.
• Fennel seed: Like the fennel bulb, fennel seeds have a sweet, mild licorice flavor. And while I don’t usually have fennel bulb on hand, fennel seed is a pantry staple in my home that I use in both Mediterranean cooking and Chinese dishes alike.
• Chili flakes: To give this dish just a hint of spice. 
• Lemon: Juice and zest for maximum lemon flavor! Pro tip: I usually spritz the dish with a little more fresh lemon juice right before serving. 
• Pasta water: Pasta water contains starch and is a great way to create a sauce that really lets your star ingredients take the spotlight.
• Parmesan: I love the flavor of parmesan cheese in this dish. If you prefer, you could use Pecorino Romano instead of pecorino. Both will work very well.
• Butter
• Basil
• (Optional) Ground Fermented Black Garlic: Fermented black garlic is an ingredient that is new to me, but it’s sort of like caramelized onions and garlic had an umami-packed baby. I’ve been pouring this stuff on avocado toast and eggs and it definitely adds something to this pasta if you have any on hand. I found mine at Trader Joe’s.

Let’s Make Sausage Broccolini Pasta!

1. Make Pasta. Add pasta to a large pot of salted water and make al dente pasta according to package instructions. Add broccolini to cook for 2-3 minutes before it’s time to drain the pasta. Before you drain the pasta, remove at least 2 cups of the pasta water  Drain. Set aside. 
2. Make sausage. Let sausage cook in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, capers, salt, fennel, chili flakes and lemon zest. Cook until onions are translucent, 3-5 minutes, adjusting heat if necessary. Taste and add more salt to taste.
3. Combine. Add cooked pasta to the sausage mixture and toss in reserved pasta water, butter, lemon juice over medium heat. Add parmesan. Toss. If you feel like the pasta needs a little more liquid, you can always add a splash of water, veggie or chicken broth. If it feels like there is a lot of liquid, no worries. The pasta will absorb and you’ll end up with slightly saucier noodles. It’s hard to go wrong here.
4. Toss in herbs. Taste and adjust salt and lemon juice to taste. Grate more parmesan over the top of the pasta and garnish with more basil leaves. Optionally, give the pasta a generous sprinkle of dried, fermented black garlic; I’ve been adding 1 teaspoon to an adult-sized dinner portion and it is to die for. Dig in!

Storing and Reheating

This pasta dish will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator stored in an airtight container. To reheat, add a splash of liquid (likely water or broth) and heat in the microwave until hot.

Looking for Other Great Pasta Recipes?

Try this 30-minute, one-pot cheesy beef taco pasta, this red pepper pesto pasta for a great summer dinner idea, creamy lemon gnocchi, or whip up this hearty mushroom gnocchi.

📖 Recipe