Baked Italian Sausage Recipe with Broccoli Rabe
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Oven Baked Italian Sausage with Broccoli Rabe is one of our favorite easy, tasty, twenty-minute meals.
It’s so versatile, served often with greens, pasta, potatoes, or salads. The leftovers can be added to soups and frittatas.
We especially like oven-baked Italian sausage with broccoli rabe
I have a full tutorial here on how to prepare broccoli rabe.
- It’s important to trim the stems, submerge in boiling water for about 4-5 minutes.
- Drain and shock with ice bath to keep vibrant green color.
- Sautè garlic in olive oil. Add chopped and drained broccoli rabe.
- Red chili flakes and pecorino cheese are the perfect additions.
Sausage and broccoli rabe are often served with a pasta called orecchiette. This is my husband’s favorite dish.
My personal favorite Italian sausage is from Whole Foods as they make it on premises, and we don’t have Italian markets here. This makes for a wonderful easy dinner full of savory flavors.
Oven Baked Italian Sausage Makes Cooking Easy
You can cook Italian sausage a few different ways, (on the grill, in a frying pan), but I like to just fork it allow steam to escape and place it in the oven. So easy! While the sausage is cooking for about twenty minutes, you can make the broccoli rabe.
Oven Baked Italian Sausage with Broccoli Rabe is an Easy Simple Feast
Such a simple meal feels like a feast. I can’t stress enough that broccoli rabe is not broccoli and does not taste like broccoli. It has a more distinct bitter taste that goes amazingly well with Italian sausage. Keep in mind that some foods are best as part of an orchestra. You may not like the solo, but the combination of the sausage and salty cheese makes for a perfect bite.
Pecorino Romano is our favorite cheese for broccoli rabe as it’s nutty, salty, and balances the bitterness. I like to shave it over the broccoli rabe while it’s still hot in the pan and have it melt a little.
The reason broccoli rabe loves Italian sausage is that it needs salt. Broccoli rabe is in the mustard family and the bitterness will be offset by salt, salty cheese and salty sausage, along with the red chili flakes.
You can change this recipe a bit by serving the broccoli rabe and sausage with your favorite starch, pasta, rice, or crusty bread. You could also be inspired to serve broccoli rabe with meatballs (no sauce). You could add broccoli rabe and sliced sausage to this summer spaghetti.
Recipes like these are meant to be an idea, an inspiration to make food to your own tastes.
If you don’t want broccoli rabe, Oven Baked Italian Sausage goes wonderfully with kale. These are a few of my favorites.
More recipes with Italian Sausage from Spinach Tiger
Spaghetti Squash with Italian Sausage
Italian Sausage Ricotta Frittata
Broccoli Rabe with Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 4 sausage Italian Sausage
- 1 to 2 bunches of broccoli rabe see notes
- 2 to 4 cloves of garlic sliced thinly
- olive oil for sautéing
- sea salt for seasoning
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup grated or shaved pecorino romano cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Fork the sausage a few places so steam escapes in oven.
- Place in oven proof baking dish or cast iron pan.
- Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.
- In meantime, trim broccoli rabe stems.
- Blanch in boiling water for five minutes. Drain and place in ice bath for few minutes to cool and maintain color.
- Drain again, chop. Set aside.
- Heat frying pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Sautè garlic in oil until near golden. DO NOT BURN.
- Add in broccoili rabe. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cook for just a few minutes to saturate the flavors.
- Top with Pecorino Romano and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Serve with sausage.
Notes
One bunch will feed two people.
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