Sometimes it’s a gamble trying out a new recipe & sometimes it’s a success. Happy to report, the above was a success & what I tried most recently was not; therefore, will be omitted from this site. 😃

Ingredients:

1 large head of broccoli trimmed & cut into florets

16 oz pasta (I used shells)

4 tbsp, olive oil, divided, more as needed

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 lb Italian sausage (I used 1 lb hot & 1 lb mild)

3/4 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, more for topping

1 1/2 cups pasta water reserved, divided

Salt & freshly cracked pepper

Red pepper flakes, as desired

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil & add 2 tbsp of salt. Add broccoli florets to water & boil for 4 minutes. Without removing pot of water from heat, transfer broccoli to a colander, while leaving water in pot. Run cold water over broccoli to stop cooking. Drain well & cut into smaller pieces.

Add pasta to boiling water in pot & cook 1 minute shy of al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 1/2 cups of pasta water before draining.

While pasta is boiling, in a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil & crumble Italian sausage until cooked completely. Add garlic in the last few minutes of browning the sausage.

Once sausage is cooked thoroughly, pour 1 cup of pasta water into the sausage & simmer for a minute & water has reduced. Incorporate al dente pasta in with the sausage & cook for 2 more minutes.

Drizzle in remaining 2 tbsps olive oil, sprinkle in crushed red pepper flakes. Stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Toss in broccoli, stirring lightly. Season with salt & freshly cracked pepper, per taste. Add in remaining 1/2 cup of pasta water, if needed. Drizzle more olive oil, if desired. Top servings with more grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Adapted slightly from: https://www.cookingclassy.com/orecchiette-with-sausage-broccoli-recipe/