My family’s obsessed with this hearty yet simple sausage pasta perfect for weeknight dinners. It’s packed with fresh broccoli, Parmesan, good olive oil, green olives, and lemon zest to hit all the flavor and texture notes. On the table in just over 30 minutes. You’ll crave it over and over!
I recently laid mouth on a stunning pizza with mozzarella, lemon ricotta, green olives, and basil that I declared my favorite pie in all the land. (And I don’t even love white pizza.)
That’s what inspired this fabulous pasta recipe. I wanted something indulgent yet light. Super satisfying and flavorful but not heavy, ya dig? Sausage adds savory deliciousness that pairs so well with bites of tender broccoli, herbaceous olive oil, perfectly cooked pasta, and briney olives.
This recipe makes my heart sing, ok?!
The low down on star ingredients
- Pasta: We’re doing short cut pasta like cavatappi, farfalle, fusilli, or penne. I like the fun radiatore shape I link to in the recipe card. Psst: don’t miss my butternut squash goat cheese pasta and veggie-loaded cajun pasta recipes if you’re a pasta fiend!
- Sausage: I like chicken sausage because it’s less greasy but still packed with flavor. Any sausage you love is great here, plant or chicken or pork.
- Broccoli: You’re welcome for not having to cook a separate veggie. We’re cooking it right with the pasta!
- Olives and lemon zest: Our flavorful additions that make this taste next level.
- Grated parmesan: For yummy umami flavor. Don’t cheat; get the good stuff in the refrigerated section.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Good extra virgin olive oil and starchy pasta water create a delightful, simple sauce.
Let’s make it!
Behind the scenes of recipe testing
I’ve made this for dinner over and over and after shoving hundreds of forkfuls in my face, here are my *exPeRt* tips:
- Don’t overcook the pasta. You don’t want it to fall apart once you mix in all the other goodness. That would be a shame.
- Use a sausage you know you like, i.e. don’t try a new one since the sausage flavor is a huge part of the end result. I like the chicken sausage linked in the recipe card because it’s leaner and l less greasy, meaning I don’t have to worry about draining it. Pork sausage is easier to find ground without casings, though.
- Season to taste. If you’re an acid lover like me, add more olives and lemon zest. If you like less, use less or omit the olives. As always, go heavy handed on the salt and pepper so everything comes together.
- Make it your own: The white pizza at Cart Driver in Denver that inspired this recipe has mozzarella and ricotta cheese, so sometimes I add that too! I think sautéed spinach or mushrooms would be a fantastic addition here as well.
Got leftovers?
This recipe makes amazing leftovers as the flavors get all cozy and exponentially yummier. It’ll keep for up to 5 days.
As Dean Martin would say, “That’s amore!”
Sausage Pasta with Broccoli, Parmesan, and Olive Oil
-
Prep Time:
10 minutes -
Cook Time:
25 minutes -
Total Time:
35 minutes -
Yield:
4–5 servings 1x -
Category:
Main Meals -
Method:
Oven -
Cuisine:
Italian-Inspired
Description
My family’s obsessed with this hearty yet simple sausage pasta perfect for weeknight dinners. It’s packed with fresh broccoli, Parmesan, good olive oil, green olives, and lemon zest to hit all the flavor and texture notes. On the table in just over 30 minutes. You’ll crave it over and over!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with plenty of salt (I use 2 tbsp fine sea salt). Chop broccoli.
- Once water is boiling, add pasta and cook according to package directions. When 5 minutes remain in the cooking time, add broccoli (for more crisp broccoli, you can add with 4 min remaining).
- Meanwhile, warm a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring often, for about 7-10 minutes, or until no longer pink. If using pork sausage, drain well using a slotted spoon and transfer to a bowl.
- Drain pasta and broccoli, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. (I like to place a liquid measuring cup under the strainer for ease.) Return pasta to the pot.
- Warm ½ tbsp olive oil in the skillet used for the sausage over medium low heat. Add garlic and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring often, for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant and just starting to turn golden. Stir in sausage.
- Add mixture to pot with pasta with 1 ½ cups reserved pasta water, parmesan, olives, lemon zest, remaining 3 tbsp olive oil, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper (I find I don’t need extra salt if I heavily salt the pasta water). Stir and adjust seasoning to taste, adding more pasta water if needed to loosen. Serve hot with extra parmesan and red pepper flakes!
Notes
Fresh basil is amazing in this pasta too if you have it! For a cheesier pasta, you can add ½-1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese.
