Cooking 101

Pasta with Italian Sausage, Lamb & Broccoli Rabe Casserole

This pasta dish is light and full of meat, cheese and yummy vegetables. Lamb can be swapped out too, if you choose. Flavors are amazing and so easy to prepare any night of the year!

Pasta with Italian Sausage, Lamb & Broccoli Rabe Casserole

Yield: 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:

1 # Penne Rigatte or Orechette pasta
1 ½ tablespoons salt
Olive or vegetable oil
½ pound ground lamb or ground chuck
1 – 2 links Italian chicken sausage, cubed
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 – 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound broccoli rabe, chopped
5 – 6 fresh basil leaves, chopped
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 fresh Roma tomatoes, chopped
¾ cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
Garnish: Fresh Parmesan cheese, shaved

Equipment needed:

Cutting board
Chef knife
Liquid measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Large 6 - quart pot
Colander or strainer
12 inch skillet
Bamboo spoon or spatula
Large casserole dish or mixing bowl

This recipe is so simple for the beginner cook as it requires elementary cooking preparation to create an exquisite meal! Your family will think you spent hours slaving away in the kitchen! It also can be made ahead for gatherings of friends and family. The ingredients are fresh and fairly inexpensive too! Lets start cooking!

A challenge for the new cook is meal management…trying to get everything finished at the same time. Whenever I cook a pasta dish, I start by boiling the water and cooking pasta while I am prepping the other ingredients. The pasta will be finished in time to add to the rest of the casserole and if finished a bit early, can be held too. Start by filling a large 6-quart pot with water up to the rivets or slightly below the handles on the pot. Add 1-½ tablespoons of salt to the water to help flavor the pasta a bit while it cooks. The little bit of salt during cooking will improve the flavor of the final dish more efficiently than salting the pasta after cooking. Cover pot to bring to a boil. A covered pot of anything will heat faster than uncovered. When the water comes to a boil, add pasta and a drizzle of olive oil (or vegetable oil) to the water to help prevent foam formation and boil over as the pasta cooks. Set a timer for the time recommended on the package. If there are no time recommendations, I usually start with 7 – 8 minutes and test the pasta from there. Pasta should be ‘al dente’ and slightly chewy when finished cooking, not falling apart. When pasta is finished, reserve about a cup of pasta water before draining to use later. Set cooked, drained pasta aside.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Meanwhile, while pasta is cooking, chop your onion and mince the garlic. Place the skillet on medium high heat for about 2 – 3 minutes to heat. Drizzle a little olive oil in the skillet and place in ground lamb (ground chuck). Add prepped onions and garlic on top of meat and sauté, reducing heat slightly. Sauté these ingredients until the meat is not longer pink and the onions become slightly yellow, shiny and translucent. This ensures the onions are cooked well. Many people don’t like onions and this is often due to under cooking them. Onions will become very sweet and the aroma and flavor they provide a dish is not to be missed! After meat is finished cooking, tilt pan slightly to allow all the meat fat to run to one side. Use a tablespoon to remove this fat. You can also attempt to drain into a small bowl or empty can if you feel secure lifting the pan without dumping out the meat as you drain the fat. Usually not much there to remove, depending on the quality and fat content of the meat. Safety first!

After fat is removed, chop chicken sausage into small cubes. I often used chicken or turkey Italian sausage that is seasoned and sometimes precooked depending on what I have in the freezer. Add the cubed sausage to the ground cooked meat and stir well to combine.

Now it’s time for the greens! I love broccoli rabe in pasta dishes. It is very similar to broccoli except it has more greens and smaller flowerettes. Broccoli is a super food and so good for you! It’s packed with nutrients and phytochemicals, which help to reduce risk for cancer and heart disease as well. Coarsely chop the broccoli rabe, stems and all. Roll the basil leaves together and chop them too. Add both to the meat mixture and cook on medium heat just until the greens start to turn bright green in color, about 2 – 3 minutes. Turn off heat and sprinkle with salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper and stir well.

Tomatoes are the next step. Using a sharp chef knife or serrated knife, slice Roma tomatoes lengthwise into four long slices. Next separate tomato in half…flat surfaces are safer to cut. Cut each half again into 3 – 4 slices, depending on the size of your tomato, and then chop across the width of the tomato to create ¼ inch cubes. These cubes will create a sauce in your dish, as well as add wonderful color and flavor! Add on top of the meat and mix well to combine. Remember, this step is done without heat under the skillet. Don’t want the tomatoes to loose their shape and juices too soon!

Now it’s time to put it all together! Add drained, cooked pasta to the skillet of meat and vegetables and carefully stir to combine. The pan might be quite full, so use a circular folding technique to reduce the mess. After mixture is fairly well mixed, sprinkle ½ cup of the grated Parmesan cheese on skillet mixture with ~ ½ of the reserved pasta water and continue to blend. (If mixture appears dry, add a bit more of the pasta water)

Transfer pasta mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle remaining ¼ cup Parmesan cheese on top. Place casserole dish into preheated 350 F oven on center rack. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until casserole is golden and bubbly, as shown above. I love the crunchy bits of pasta and cheese baking creates!

Now it’s time to dish up your pasta! Garnish with a bit of shaved Parmesan! I often balance the dish with a green tossed salad drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette dressing and garlic bread! Enjoy!!