Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage

Pasta al Forno with Broccoli and Sausage is a simple and tasty first course. A great idea for Sunday lunch or brunch. Using easy to find ingredient and my simple techniques, the only thing you have left to do is, put it in the oven and wait to taste it.   

2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 sweet onion, diced

4 Italian mild or spicy sausages, remove casing

1 pound of broccoli, cut into florets

1 pound of penne or mezze rigatoni pasta

1-pound container whole milk ricotta

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1- 1 ½ cups grated pecorino or parmesan cheese, divided

Kosher Salt

Black pepper

Red pepper flakes

3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Preheat oven to 350F.  Butter a baking pan, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle it with a few tablespoons of grated cheese. (I always season the bottom of my pan for best flavor!)

Cooking the onion and sausage: In a large skillet on medium heat, add the olive oil and onion, cook until translucent. Add the ground sausage and cook until golden brown.  Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.

Cooking the broccoli: In the meantime, boil the florets in a pasta pan with a little salt, and cook until slightly crispy. Do not overcook. Strain with a hand strainer.  Reserve and reuse the broccoli water for the pasta.

When the sausage is cooked to golden, add the partially cook broccoli into the skillet.  Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If the mixture is too dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 or 2 tablespoons of warm broccoli water.

Cooking the pasta: Add the pasta to the broccoli water and cook according to package direction minus 2 minutes.  The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so do not overcook. When ready, strain. Reserve 1/2  cup of pasta water if needed to mix with ricotta and eggs.

The ricotta and eggs:  place the ricotta in a bowl; whip it slightly.  This helps make the ricotta a little creamier.  Add the beaten eggs and mix.  Season with pepper.  Add the strained pasta in with the ricotta and egg mixture; mix well. if too dry, add a few tablespoons of pasta water as needed.  

Assembly: Layer half of the pasta mixture on the bottom of the baking pan, add a sprinkle of pepper,  and a few tablespoons of grated cheese.  Add all of the sausage and broccoli mixture on top;  add black pepper and a few tablespoons of grated cheese. Lastly, add the remaining pasta on top of the sausage and broccoli. Add more grated cheese on top of the last layer. Scatter small cubes of butter on top of dish to make it golden.  Bake until the top of the pasta is golden, about 25 minutes.

Enjoy and see you next time!